Mourning Becomes Ava
by Tinkie
Summary: Ava Johnson is in her fourth year at Hogwarts. With the advances of Oliver Wood and Fred Weasley, Ava finds herself changing and meeting someone who is closer to her that what she realizes. Rated M for language and adult themes.
1. The Hogwarts Express

Well here I am back at the fanfiction. Don't worry I plan on finishing this story!! For the last couple of years I have grown a great appreciation for Fred and George Weasley. So I decided to write my own little story about what "might" have happened that was left out of the book. I do not own any of the characters except the ones I made up of course. I hope you enjoy my story because I enjoy writing it!

x.o.x.o.  
Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 1** – The Hogwarts Express 

It was the very first day of September. Arriving at King's Cross Station in London was a ritual I have done for the past three years of my life. Looking around the station I see the familiar faces I've come to know all three years of my schooling and all the new faces entering that will be entering a new chapter in their lives. Every year I do the same routine. I stand on the platform, look around at all the loving families – watching them give kisses and hugs…watching them double check their belongings making sure all is right. As I stand and study them I become desolate inside – it's just like clockwork. Sighing I looked down at my watch… it was 10 till. He was still not here. I looked around and caught a glimpse of Angelina saying goodbye to her parents and at that moment I felt a sting of jealousy.

But before I fully get into my story let me begin by introducing myself. My name is Ava Johnson. As you might have guessed I am related to Angelina Johnson – chaser for Gryffindor. She is in entering her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while I am entering my fourth. Angelina has been my cousin my whole life and she is my closest friend at school. Although being related we looked nothing alike. Angelina has darker skin with straight jet-black hair and smoky dark brown eyes. She is tall and slender with everything going for her. I am a bit lighter in skin tone with wavy brown hair and greenish-silver eyes. Angelina would always joke with me saying that I was left on the doorstep because I didn't look anything like my father. My father was dark and had black hair like Angelina. I resembled my mother except for the eyes--hers were brown. The luck of the draw she used to tell me.

In addition to not looking alike, Angelina and I had extremely different tastes. She was extremely popular and very athletic. Although I have been told I have been the prettier one Angelina never failed at winning over the boys. Every year she seemed to have a new flame while the dating scene was still pretty foreign to me. I have never had sex, never kissed a guy, and what am I saying… I never even went on a real date. My father was very strict when it came to boys. My father had a lot of rules and not dating was highest on the list. So instead of pursuing the opposite sex I kept my mind focused on my schoolwork. Don't get me wrong… I have had my fair share of school romances but none of them lasted more than a couple walks around the lake. I was never allowed into Hogsmeade because my father refused to sign the permission slip. He always said that Hogsmeade was a place children went to waste their lives and their parent's money.

My father always had a strong opinion on how I should govern my life and being the obedient child I never argued. The only time I really heard from my father was when he was lecturing me about being a model witch. My father worked for the Ministry of Magic. He is the head of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. Because of that he is always busy handling cases that dealt with the misuse of magic. Also my father handles high criminal cases in the ministry. My father aided in the capture of Sirius Black. How do I know this you ask? I know because my father never tired of telling that story. How the magnificent Anthony Johnson helped in capturing the dangerous Sirius Black—the man who murdered 12 muggles and betrayed his only two friends. Even thinking about that story makes me yawn.

At 5 till Angelina and her parents beckon me to come over. Internally I sighed as I walked towards them with a smile on my face. As I walk over, Angelina runs and gives me a warm embrace while her parents look around the station.

"Hello Ava… he's late again I see…" She never missed a beat did she?

"I think late is the incorrect word to use. Lateness implies that one is actually coming," I said cynically as I gave Angelina a hug.

"Oh Ava don't be that way. Maybe this time will be different." Angelina's mom was very naïve when it came to the real world.

"Hey Angie… why don't you and your mother get your things ready while I take Ava to get you two some candy for the train?" Angelina's father said as he put an arm around my shoulder. Angelina and her mother turned to get together our stuff and began to load it on the train. I sighed quietly.

"Thanks Uncle Nick…" He smiled as he walked with me to get a couple pieces of candy.

"No problem Ava…You know I'm always here if you need anything. I know my little brother isn't the smartest person but I know he'll regret not being there as much as he should."

"Don't worry Uncle… I'm used to it by now. His work in the ministry is important to him and I can't complain much. I've always had you and Aunt Alice. I shouldn't be complaining though… I know of many girls who don't even have their father in their life. As little as I see him at least he still gets me everything I need. Every year he gives me new robes and he even bought me an owl for the new school year." Uncle Nick sighed as he pushed strands of hair behind my ear.

"He should be giving you more than that…" He sighed and looked into my eyes. "Sometimes I wish she was still around…"

"You and me both… but I need to work with what I am given." I shrugged as I heard the train whistle signaling the final boarding call. I looked up at my uncle and gave him a peck on the cheek as I started to walk towards the train. When I reached the train I looked back at my aunt and uncle, watching them wave Angelina and I goodbye. I looked around the station one last time before I smiled at the Johnsons and hopped on the train behind Angelina.

As I walked into the train Angelina told me that she needed to go see her quidditch mates real quick before she would join me. This was said at 5 past the hour. Like I said clockwork… I smiled as I walked to find my own compartment in the train. After a couple minutes I was able to find one that was completely empty. I sat down and pulled out a book to read. After an hour past the door to my compartment opened. "Hey Angelina," I said without raising my head from my book.

"_Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul_, interesting…Hey Ava can I ask a favor?"

Sighing I turned the page. "Yes you and your quidditch friends can hang out in here." Angelina began to giggle.

"How can you do that? You always know what I say before I get a chance to say it! I wish I had that talent. No wonder you're so great at divination." I smirked as I turned the page.

"Divination always came easy to me. But I wouldn't say I have a natural talent for divination as much as I have a knack for observing. I can hear Oliver outside the door recapping the latest quidditch game." Angelina blushed as she laughed.

"You're too much cuz… I promise we wont disturb you too much. This is one of the few compartments that can hold all of us comfortably." I ignored her as I continued to read my book. Quickly the room was filled with the quidditch team. I squeezed myself next to the window allowing them more room to congregate as I continued to read my book.

Suddenly the quidditch captain Oliver Wood settled himself right next to me. I tried to keep concentration on the words in my book but I was failing miserably. I kept stealing sideways glances as the Scottish rogue. I have always fancied Wood ever since I first laid eyes on him in the great Hall. He had gorgeous brown eyes and when he smiled…I swear I heard angels sing. Eventually I stopped reading all together and began listening intently on what the quidditch captain had to say.

"Did ya see how Ireland glided in the air on their brooms? We cannot have any flying mishaps again. Angelina…you need to stop being so ballsy on the broom. You need to have more control and keep the rest of the team in tow. We need to stay together in formation!" I glanced over at Angelina as she rolled her eyes and whispered something in Katie's ear causing Katie to giggle slightly. Seeming to not be paying attention to them, Wood continued. "We also need to let Harry have complete control of the field. Harry is of great concern and we need to make sure he has full visibility and range to catch the snitch. That's why you two need to aim those bludgers more carefully! You almost knocked Harry off his broom during our last match!"

Sitting across from me I heard laughing coming from Fred and George Weasley. Ahh the "Weasley twins." They were the most notorious pranksters in the school. I think I might have said all but two words to those two in all my years at Hogwarts. Angelina was always very close to them and often they were always hanging out in the common room. She met them when she joined the quidditch team and ever since then they have been really good friends. However this year was different. Angelina ended her 5-month relationship with Paul Rogers, a sixth year Hufflepuff and had set her sights on Fred Weasley…whichever of the two in front of me were. I was never good at telling them apart. I often got the impression that every time they introduced themselves to me they were lying about which twin they were.

"Oh Wood come off it," laughed one of the twins. "I had prefect control of the bludger. I knew it wasn't going to hit Harry!"

"Yeah Wood," said the other twin. "George and I are excellent in ball control…" Suddenly Angelina, Katie, and Alicia (the other girl quidditch player) began to giggle uncontrollably while I started to grin.

"Oh sod off you guys! Get your minds out of the gutter! But as I said before… you girls can learn a thing or two from me. Some girls don't know anything about ball control," said Fred winking at the girls. "At least this girl right here is taking steps towards getting good control… after all she's the one reading a book on broken balls." Suddenly I looked up and looked at Fred.

"For your information this is a book about divination… and I have perfect ball control thank you very much." When I said that Angelina let out a huge laugh.

"You? Geez Ava I don't even remember the last time you actually kissed a guy let alone get control of his balls!" Immediately I turned a bright red. I can't believe she just said that! And in front of Oliver no less! She knows how I feel about him. As the room filled with laughter I got up and grabbed my jacket, "Umm I think I'm going to go get something from the trolley… I'll be back." And with that I walked out of the compartment as quickly as I could. I made my way down the hall and turned into the first empty compartment I could find. As I walked in I immediately plopped on the couch with my head in my hands. I took off the coat I was wearing and crumpled it into a ball, put it against my face and screamed as loud as I could. I sighed and felt a bit calm. As I was putting on my jacket I could hear the compartment door opening. I looked up and saw one of the twins.

"Which one are you?" I said as I put on my jacket feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I'm the one with excellent ball control… remember?" Ah… this was Fred. The one Angelina was drooling over for about a couple weeks. "I'm sorry about Angel… she can open her mouth a little too much that one. I can't tell you the number of times I hexed her when she blabbed on some of the tricks George and I pulled." He said chuckling.

I smiled at him and shook my head. "Nah you don't have to apologize to her. I'm used to her outbursts. Shit I've known all my life. Besides you can pick your friends but not your family."

"You two are related?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "You guys don't look anything alike."

"Yeah she's my cousin on my father's side. Our dads are brothers. Anyways…I'm not mad at her. I just needed to get out of there before my whole body turned red." Fred laughed and sat down across from me.

"So your name is…. Eva…. right?" I shook my head no. I wasn't surprised he couldn't remember my name. We never formally introduced ourselves. I knew them because they were the infamous Fred and George Weasley… he knew me only because I was that girl who hung around Angelina.

"It's Ava actually… It's all right many people get it wrong anyways. Most people call me 'Angie's Friend' anyways. Eva is a step up if I do say so myself." Fred chuckled and ran his fingers through his long red hair. I never really liked longer hair on guys. I much preferred short hair like Oliver's. Oh Oliver… I hope he didn't think any less of me after Angelina's outburst… I hope he actually thought of me. I have never talked to him… I only watched him from afar. Angelina told me that I should talk to him but I never got the courage. When I was around Oliver I had butterflies in my stomach and I was never able to talk. When Angelina told me that he was the captain of the quidditch team I made it my business to attend every game Gryffindor played in. After a while I began going to all the games. I developed a liking to the sport. It was nice being able to have something in common with that gorgeous man. As I continued to undress Oliver with my mind I began to forget Fred was even in the room. Finally I was brought back to reality when I heard Fred laughing heartily.

"Where the hell have you been love? Or who have you been with if that sounds like a better question." I shook my head and began to laugh.

"And what makes you think that I was daydreaming about someone? Can you read minds Mr. Weasley?"

"Well…" he said as he looked at me with a devilish stare, "I wouldn't say I have a natural talent for divination as much as I have a knack for observing." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. That was exactly what I had told Angelina a few minutes earlier. When he saw the look on my face he began to laugh again. "The walls aren't that thick on this train… I could hear you two talking while we were waiting for you to agree letting us in. So like I said before… Who were you daydreaming about?"

"Since when did you care Fred Weasley?"

"Well of course I'm going to care," he said as he leaned back on his seat and but his hands behind his head. "After all it's MY quidditch captain who you are daydreaming about." I looked at him dead in his big green eyes.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?" Immediately after I saw the look on his face I knew that he didn't know. He was simply just pulling my leg. I felt so stupid letting him know I fancied Oliver. Fred just sat back and laughed.

"Well of course you fancy him. Who doesn't? Half the of girl population at Hogwarts fancy him." Then he gave a look towards me and smiled. "I wouldn't think of him as your type though…"

I scoffed, "And what is my type? You barely even know me. In fact I believe this is the most we've ever spoken to each other. So please Mr. Weasley… what is my type?" Fred seemed to be amused by my response. He sat back smirking slightly. "Well?..." I said, waiting for his brilliant response.

"Well maybe he is your type." He said as he leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees looking into my eyes intently. I sat back trying not to blush. Why was he looking at me like that? It felt like he was trying to stare deep into my soul.

"What are you looking at?" I said cautiously.

He gave me a sideways smile. "I just never noticed the color of your eyes before. I've never seen eyes that silver. It's…"

"…Haunting?" I said, finishing his sentence. I smiled as I remembered my mother. She told me that when I was born my father said my eyes were haunting. My father told me that no one in the family had eyes that color. My mother said I was making a statement when I was born whereas my father thought a bit differently. Then my mind went back to a time when I was younger.

* * *

_When I was four years old I could hear my mother and father downstairs arguing about me. I had crawled out of bed hearing my mother yelling at my father. I grabbed my stuffed unicorn and slowly walked down the hallway._

"_Anthony how dare you accuse me of such things! I love you and that wont change a thing."_

"_Is it his?"_

"_It? It? Is that what you call your daughter now? She needs a father and believe it or not you are it! I don't care what you think but Ava is yours!"_

"_Then why was he here Vanessa? Why was he at the door this morning asking to see her? Tell me you're not still fucking him."_

"_I've always been faithful to you since we've been married! He was just a school crush nothing more."_

"_How can you let him be around her? Did you ever think that he could put our lives in jeopardy? What you two had does not look good to the ministry."_

"_To the ministry? I am your goddamn wife! Who gives a shit what the ministry thinks?"_

"_I give a shit! When they look at you all they see is his whore!"_

_I heard a loud slap. "Don't you dare call me that Anthony! Don't you fucking dare. You don't want the whore around then fine. I'm not putting up with your shit! I would rather be his whore than your wife anyways." And with that I heard her running up the stairs as my dad screamed after her._

"_Don't you fucking walk away from me Vanessa!"_

* * *

"Ava?" I looked up and saw Fred looking at me intently. "You went off again. You have a knack for doing that a lot don't you?" 

I smiled as I nodded. "Yeah I do a lot. I'm nuts aren't I?" Fred nodded as I punched him in the shoulder.

Fred rubbed his arm. "So where were you this time? Some romantic destination…feeding me grapes while you serenade me?" I rolled my eyes and put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a photo. Fred got up and sat next to me. It was a picture of my mother and I. She was holding me in the air as she was looking into the camera.

"She's beautiful, you look just like her." I scoffed as I looked at Fred.

"Are you flirting with me?"

He smirked and then began to open his mouth to say something when the door opened suddenly. It was Angelina.

"Hey Ava I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say what I said! You know how I can be sometimes. I never think when I talk. Anyways we need to get changed because we're arriving into Hogwarts soon." Angelina just noticed Fred sitting across from me. As she looked at him she smiled. "Hey Fred. What are you doing in here? I thought you were going to find Ginny?"

He stood up and brushed off his pants. "I am. I'll leave you two." He turned to walk out the door when he stopped and looked back at us. "Unless you'd like me to help you two change. Then I'll be glad to sacrifice my time to help you two lovely ladies." Angelina laughed and punched him in the arm. "Oww Angel… I'm only trying to be a gentleman! I see that I'm not wanted." He turns to me, winks and says, "I'll see you later Ava." And with that he walked out of the compartment.

Angelina immediately turned to me and crossed her arms with one eyebrow raised. "And what was that? Do you two fancy each other? I thought you liked Oliver! But Fred does have his qualities I must say… He is a bad boy…" As she was saying that I could see it in her eyes that she was undressing him with her mind.

I laughed and stood up. "I don't fancy Fred. I don't even know him. Besides why would he go after me? There are plenty of other girls that are his type."

Angelina scoffed. "Well maybe that's the attraction… You're not like those other two bit slags like some of the girls at this school. Maybe he'll be the one that will lead you to the dark side…"

And when she said that I really did laugh. "Dark side? I doubt it. Besides my father would have a heart attack. Anyways… he's all yours. I know you fancy him right?" Angelina smiled as she followed me out the compartment.

"I do fancy him. But I can find someone else to keep my attention if it is Fred you fancy. Don't worry… I'm always looking out for my little cousin."

I chuckled as I grabbed my jacket. "Maybe you can help me snag that quidditch captain… I'm feeling a bit daring." Angelina's eyes widened as she smiled and lightly punched my shoulder.

"No worries. Soon I'll have him eating out of your hands."


	2. An Old Friend

Chapter 2 – An Old Friend

The start of the year feast was an interesting time. First we start with the Sorting hat ceremony. All of the older students sat and watched the new arrivals anticipate being sorted in their respective houses. Everyone applauded when each student was sorted. After the sorting there were a few words from Dumbledore and then vast quantities of food and drink in which the entire Hogwarts population feasted as if they hadn't eaten in years.

I sat at the Gryffindor table with another book in my hand. I was reading another muggle fantasy novel. I was one of the few who were fascinated by the muggle interpretation of the mystical world. I slowly grabbed a piece of chicken and carefully ate it as I continued to read. While I was reading, Angelina was talking loudly and quickly with her quidditch girl friends. I lightly paid attention to my book while I listened to their conversation.

"Why did you break up with Paul Angie?!" Katie squealed.

"He just wasn't giving me what I needed in a relationship. Also he had weird toes." I rolled my eyes. Angelina always found reasons to break up with her boyfriends. Angelina was the girl that loved being in a relationship but hated commitment. She never seemed to get past the 6-month mark. Once she felt that she was stepping into a routine she called it quits. Angelina needed excitement and she was in no hurry to find the love of her life.

"You always know how to kick them to the curb don't you Angie? You know one day someone will do that to you sooner or later! What do they say Ava?"

"Karma is a bitch…" I smiled as I turned the page in my book. As the girls started laughing I glimpsed up at the teacher's table and saw that there was a new teacher—defense against the dark arts I am assuming. Every year there was a new DADA teacher. Let's see how long this guy will last. Although looking young he had grayish-brown hair that was a bit scruffy. He was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes (a little too shabby for a teacher). As I was looking at him he slowly looked up at me. His gaze was piercing. Although I felt a bit uncomfortable I was unable to move my gaze from this teacher.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and our gaze was broken. I jolted and turned to see who tapped me on the shoulder. As I quickly turned my book knocked my goblet over and spilled tea all over the pants of…Oliver Wood!!! Oh sod it! I just spilled hot tea all over the pants of Oliver Wood! As I frantically grabbed my napkin and tried to dry him off, Oliver laughed and grabbed the napkin out of my hand and wiped himself off.

"You sure do know how to get a bloke's attention now do ya?" I blushed as I began to apologize profusely. He laughed again as he shook his head. "Don' worry about it. I 'ave suffered worse. The trials of being quidditch captain' eh?" I brushed my hair back with my fingers and smiled.

"Yeah I remember the time when Marcus Flint knocked you off your broom a couple years ago. I was really nervous. You were in the hospital wing for a couple days." He smiled as he raised an eyebrow.

"I dinna know you were a fan. You don' seem like the type to watch quidditch. I figured you were the intellectual type." I smiled as I looked into his eyes and swooned. He thought about me.

"I like to keep a nice balance between business and pleasure." I grabbed my goblet, seeing that it magically filled back to the brim with tea. I took a sip. "So why are you here Mr. Wood? Business or pleasure?" I heard Angelina cough as she was stopping herself from spitting out her drink. I can't believe I said that! I never was that bold. I guess I was overcoming my shyness a bit.

Oliver sat back and smiled. "I see you like to get to business. I like that. I was wonderin' if you can help me with my History of Magic class this year. This is my last year at Hogwarts and I need a bit o' help to pass. Angelina told me you were good at it and that you wouldn' mind helpin' me. Was she righ' or do I have to ask some other gorgeous lady to help me?" At that I really blushed. He thought I was gorgeous!

"I can help you. But what would I get in return?" I said as I raised an eyebrow at the handsome quidditch captain.

"Maybe we can come to some sor' of arrangement." He winked as he got up from the table and sat back down with some seventh years. As I watched Wood dreamily I heard a chuckle next to me.

"Why don't you just eat him with a spoon?" I sighed as I turned around.

"I would Fred but I doubt Hogwarts would support cannibalism. And besides… I don't know if Wood would appreciate me attacking him with a spoon." I turned towards the table and grabbed a roll and buttered it. Fred chuckled and turned to speak with his brother George. Before I had time to put the roll in my mouth Alicia, Angelina, and Katie began to speak a mile a minute.

"I can't believe that just happened!"  
"I told you I would have him eating out of your hands by the end of the term but by the way you acted you will have him eating out of your hands by the end of the week!"  
"Ava, I knew there was a Vixen in you somewhere!"

I held up my hands. "Woah girls calm down! I'm only his tutor who says it will lead to something more?"

"Oh lay off it Ava. A guy like Wood doesn't just have platonic relationships. If I know Wood he will try to get you to play on his quidditch field before you know it!" I rolled my eyes as I stood up from the table.

"I think I'm going to take a walk before I head off to bed. See you girls later." Although I denied Angelina's claim internally I hoped that would happen. I've seen Wood around girls. Maybe he'll be the one to bring me out of my shell. I smiled and hummed to myself as I walked down the empty corridor towards the library. I always enjoyed the library when I wanted some time alone. Very few students made their way to the library and that allowed me to relax and read in peace. I would also like to gather my thoughts in silence.

As I turned down the hallway I bumped into someone, causing me to drop my book on the floor. As I bent forward to grab it I saw a hand that was older and weathered pick up my book from the floor and hand it to me. I looked into those piercing eyes that I had saw in the dining hall.

"I'm so sorry Professor…" I said looking to get his name. Figuring what I was looking for the teacher did not leave me in suspense.

"Lupin. Professor Remus J. Lupin. I'm the new…"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I figured as much."

He slowly smiled. "You're very observant I see. And why are you walking the halls so late Ava?"

"Well I was just…" and then it hit me. "How did you know my name?"

He paused for a split second before he answered. "Professor Dumbledore. He told me that you are Hogwarts brightest pupil. You also have a strong knack for Divination according to Professor Trelawny."

I smiled. "He flatters me. But I guess I take after my mom. She was great at Divination from what I've been told."

"I know." Professor Lupin had a small smirk as sadness seemed to fill his eyes. I looked at him questioningly.

"You knew my mother?" He smiled as he seemed to snap out of his daze.

"Yes I knew Vanessa. We went to school together. I got to know her real well. You look just like her. And you act like her." I smiled as I looked down at the ground.

"I don't remember her all that much. She died when I was four. I wish I could have known her more." Professor Lupin put his hand on my shoulder.

"If you care to know anything about her I will gladly tell you. But not at this moment. I must get going unfortunately… Professor Dumbledore is expecting me in his office right about now. I will see you in class. Goodnight Ava." And with that he disappeared down the hall.

Professor Lupin seemed like an interesting man. It was nice to know of someone who knew of my mother. I was going to make it my business to get as much information I could gather.


	3. A New Friend

**Chapter 3** – A New Friend

* * *

"_Don't you fucking walk away from me Vanessa!"_

_My mother ran up the stairs as I clutched my Unicorn. She knelt down to me when she reached the top. "Ava what are you doing out of bed?" She picks me up and runs down the hall as I hear my father running up the stairs._

"_Vanessa!! I told you to not walk away from me!"_

_She ran into my room and slammed the door. She yelled a locking spell as she began to pack up my things. "Ava honey why don't you put on some clothes?" I heard my dad banging on the door._

"_Vanessa, open the fucking door!"_

"_Mommy why daddy mad?" My dad continued to bang on the door._

"_He isn't mad sweetie just put some clothes on. Are you hungry? I'm taking us to get ice cream!" My mother finished packing up my clothes and grabbed my hand. "I would move out of the way Anthony if I were you!" And with that my mom grabbed her wand and yelled, "Bombarda!" Suddenly the door blasted open and my mom grabbed me and ran out the door. I could hear my father coughing as my mother turned down the hallway. As she began to run down the stairs I heard my father yell behind us, "Locomotor Mortis!" My mom fell forward as I flew into the air._

_In slow motion I could see my mother tumble down the stairs as she was unable to prevent herself from falling. As I began to fall head first down the stairs I heard my father yell, "Levicorpus!" and I was suspended upside-down in air as I watched my mother tumble like a rag doll down the stairs. My father lowered me down to the top of the stairs as he ran down to my mom's lifeless body at the bottom of the stairs. I curled into a ball as I heard my father wail loudly in the background._

* * *

"Earth to Ava…earth to Ava… come in Ava." Startled I snapped back into reality as I looked up to see Fred. Lately he has always seemed to come around when I was in the middle of spacing off. 

"Hi Fred…what brings you around the library this time of night? School hasn't officially started yet so you can't be 'studying.' In fact… I don't recall ever seeing you in the library."

He smiled as he pulled up a chair in front of me. His smile. I never noticed how every time he smiled he seemed to wink at me. His smile wasn't as magnificent as Wood's but Fred gave Wood a run for his money. "I could ask you the same question. Isn't it a little too nerdy to be at the library before school starts?" He leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table as he threw a ball into the air.

I closed my book as I looked at him. "I like to come to the library to think and to be alone." Obviously Fred did not get the hint because he smiled and threw the ball into the air again.

"I like to be alone too. Good thing I found you because we can be alone together." I rolled my eyes as I started putting books away. As I turned around to grab another book I saw that the ball was changing shape in mid air. A butterfly…a frog…a cat…a bird…that was some impressive magic.

"Where did you get that?"

"George and I made it. It's an Anisphere. It helps pass the time and relieve stress." He smiled as he threw me the ball. "You can keep that. I can make another one." I smiled as I tossed the ball into the air.

"You two should go into business. You could make a lot of money selling things like that. You make any other things?"

He seemed excited that I was asking about his creations. I think this might have been the first time someone seemed interested in his experiments. "Actually George and I have a lot of prototypes in our room. It's funny that you mention going into business because George and I have thought about owning our own joke shop one day." Suddenly he went into a long explanation of all his experiments. Interestingly enough I seemed to be just as interested as he was in his magic comic items.

"Something I have been working on recently is a set of fake wands. They look just like normal wands, but when used they do something funny, such as change into something silly such as rubber chickens or pairs of pants or beat the unwary user about the head and neck!"

I laughed as I sat down across from him. "That sounds really funny. How many have you made? If they're easy to make that can be your starting item. I can see those selling madly. I would buy a couple myself if I could!"

We were talking for a while until Madam Pince walked into the room. "It's time to go now. I'm closing up and it's about time you two went to bed." I looked up at the clock and saw that it was after hours. We said goodnight to Madam Pince and walked out of the library.

As Fred and I walked back to the dormitory we talked about his canary cream prototypes. "The look and taste like custard creams, but they turn the eater into a huge canary! George tried it on me once and luckily it doesn't last very long. We had a good laugh about it. Mum wasn't too happy about it though."

As we entered the dormitory I smiled to myself. This was the most I have ever talked to any guy in a single sitting. What was nice was that I didn't have to force myself to like what he was talking about. I forced myself to like Quidditch because I knew Wood liked it but with Fred's experiments I actually had a genuine interest. And I think Fred appreciated that.

"Well Fred I really enjoyed our conversation. You know because I gave you ideas on how to start your business you need to give me a share of the profits. 50 percent is only customary." I laughed as I began to walk up the stairway to the girl's dormitory.

"How about 5? That will make it equal."

At that I did laugh. "Equal? Maybe I should tutor you along with Wood!"

I saw Fred's smile fade a bit but the smile still remained however. "So you're going to start the tutoring tomorrow right?" I nodded as I yawned. It was getting really late and I had History of Magic early in the morning. "Just be careful around Wood. He can be a bit of a playboy."

I giggled as I turned and continued to walk up the stairs. "I thought you held the playboy title Fred. What makes Oliver any different?" I looked over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Fred pretended to be offended.

"I am not a playboy. I just like to consider myself a coniseur of women. As for Wood…just be careful. I'd hate to see a good girl like you go down that path." I reached the top of the stairs when I looked down at Fred.

"Don't worry… I'm not as good as you think." I winked as I walked into my room.

* * *

Fred walked up to his dormitory. When he shut the door George was laying awake in his bed while he was transfiguring his pillow into a bear. "Where have you been? You said you were heading back to the room and when I got here you were nowhere in sight." 

"I was on my way to the room when I decided to make a detour to the library." Fred sat on his bed and kicked off his shoes.

George raised an eyebrow. "Library? Come off it where were you really?"

Fred loosened his tie and threw it onto the floor. "Can't a man go to the library now a days?"

George laughed as his made his bear pillow attack Fred. "Yes a 'man' can go to the library. But not you Fred. You have never been one to go to the library. There must have been a girl there. The question is which one."

Fred sat up, threw George's bear-pillow across the room, unbuttoned his shit and pulled it off. "Why do you think I was there for a girl?" Fred leaned back on his bed with his chest bare.

"Because you're my twin and I know you well. It was Ava wasn't it? I don't blame you. I've always had a bit of a crush on her. She is a knockout! Luckily she isn't a slag like some of the other girls here. She is a rare breed that one. But I doubt she'd give you or I the time of day."

Fred smirked. Fred could never keep a secret from George. "I wouldn't say that. After I told her about out experiments she couldn't keep her hands off me! I think I finally found my in with her. I've always fancied her but I never made a move because I was so intimidated. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!"

George laughed. "Woah Fred. Calm down a bit. It's not like you had a problem getting girls. A lot of girls would kill to have you. You don't need Ava."

Fred sighed as he put his hands behind his head. "All of those girls combined don't add up to her." He turned and looked at George. "Did you know that she has been the only girl to take an interested in my pranks? Most girls found that childish but Ava saw the practical side in it! She supported me! God she is just so perfect!"

"Wow Fred. Stop with the wedding bells. Isn't she all about Wood? No girl can resist his charm. Although he was all about the physical relationship. No girl has ever said no to him."

Fred frowned. "I know. That's what I'm afraid of."

* * *

When I walked into my room my roomates were still awake. I had gotten pretty close to my roomates--Lindsay and Leia. Lindsay was of a muggle family. She was of a shorter height with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wasn't a typical beauty but she was pretty. Leia was of pureblood family. She was tall and very slender. She had dark chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes. 

"You're coming to the room late. At the library again?" said Lindsay as she was brushing her blonde hair. Lindsay never could quite understand why I went to the library so much. Lindsay was not the brightest star in the sky. I'm surprised she even passes her classes. Although not being that bright Lindsay was one of the sweetest girls at Hogwarts.

"I wouldn't be so sure. On my way to the room I saw Ava talking with Fred Weasley." She smirked as she walked to her bed. Leia was like Angelina when it came to boys. She was beautiful and of a good family. This year she is dating a Slytherin, Adrien Lord. It was the talk of the school for a few weeks. A Gryffindor dating a Slytherin. I have always wondered why she was never in Slytherin. She was pure and I often caught her being harsh towards Lindsay about being a muggle born.

"We were talking. He was in the library and we go to talking and we walked backed to the dormitory. Nothing happened." I pulled off my robes and began changing into my nightgown.

Lindsay squealed. "If Fred Weasley paid me attention I would try to snog him in an instant! Have you seen his body?! I wonder what he looks like naked..."

I laughed as I sat down on my bed putting my hair up. "Of course you would wonder that."

Lindsay threw a pillow at me. "Oh don't tell me you haven't thought about it yourself Ava!"

Leia nodded. "I know he wonders what you look like naked Ava. I see the way he looks at you."

I raised an eyebrow at Leia. "The way he looks at me? How does he look at me?" Fred Weasley... looking at me? Imagining what I looked like naked? I doubt it... however... that possibility did put a smile on my face. I never thought of Fred Weasley that way. In fact I never really thought much of him. Oliver always caught my attention. When I first met Fred and George they were just scrawny awkward looking boys. But over the summer they matured greatly and actually became lust-worthy.

"He looks at you like you are some Greek goddess. It's sickening really." Leia smirked as she got underneath her covers.

"You should jump on him when you get the chance!" Lindsay said as she got underneath her covers.

"Maybe... but tomorrow I am tutoring Oliver Wood. Maybe that will spark into something as well!" I said as I climbed under the covers. I began to slowly drift into sleep.


	4. Romulus and Remus

**Chapter 4** – Romulus and Remus

It has been a couple months and tutoring Oliver Wood has been… interesting. After about a week I had gotten the impression that he was not around me for tutoring lessons. He was always staring intently into my eyes and occasionally I caught him looking at my chest. When I caught him the first time I kept intentionally wearing shirts that were a little lower in cut. Angelina couldn't believe how outspoken and bold I was becoming. I have always had those bold and outspoken feelings inside of me and with Wood showing interest in me I decided to open Pandora's box.

Every morning I would get up a bit early and made sure I looked nice. Before I would just roll out of bed, put on my robes, run a comb through my hair, and then walk out the door. But with Wood following me around I took the time to make myself look more desirable. I let my hair fall down over my shoulders and I would put on a little bit of Angelina's make-up, giving myself a nice glow. When I had the chance to wear my regular clothes I always wore clothing that was a bit more revealing. Nothing too daring of course… just a lower-cut top and tighter jeans. Wood seemed to enjoy my new sense of fashion.

As well as being around Wood more I also hung around Fred and his brother George a lot more. Fred was becoming one of the closest friends I ever had at Hogwarts. Angelina didn't seem to mind much that I was hanging around her new crush. Angelina found another boy to give her entertainment. She was talking with Michael Andrews, a sixth year Hufflepuff. They ran into each other in the owlery and never left each other's side. Fred, George, and I would find ourselves finding ways to spoil Angelina's time with her new fling. Fred and I put a tongue enlarging potion into Michael's pumpkin juice and let's just say that cut into Angelina and Michael's snog-fest. Angelina didn't talk to me for a couple days but later she admitted that she had a good laugh.

School was going great as ever. As well as Divination I was getting real good at DADA. Often I found myself in Professor Lupin's office after hours talking. One day I decided to ask him about my mother.

"How did you two know each other?" I said as I was walking around his office looking at the trinkets he had while putting a piece of chocolate in my mouth. "By the way what type of chocolate is this? It tastes a lot like cocoa butter. God I haven't had this since I was a baby… my mother used to give this to me all the time."

He smiled as he handed me another piece. "It's called Coverture. It's my favorite type. My mother used to make it and she would send me some to school. I got your mother addicted to it when we went to school together. She was in a grade lower than I. She knew Lily Evans… my good friend James' girlfriend. Often she would be in our group. Your mother and I became really good friends. Better than most of my friends at Hogwarts."

I took another bite and sat down on a chest lying in his room. "What was your favorite memory of her?" He smiled and stood up from his chair. He then walked slowly to the window and gazed out.

"I remember when your mother and I would go to the lake after hours and talk. She liked to point out constellations in the sky. We became two peas in a pod, your mother and I. She used to call herself Romulus. Remus and Romulus were the traditional founders of Rome and in mythology they were the twin sons of Mars. I knew your mother would be destined for greatness." He turned around looking at me with sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry that she couldn't see how beautiful her daughter became."

I shrugged as I took another bite of chocolate. "It's alright. I did have my father."

Professor Lupin grabbed an orb sitting on his desk and began to squeeze it slightly. "Right… your father. How is he? I only met your father a couple of times but he seemed like a nice enough man."

"He's ok. He did all he could without my mother there. He made sure I always had the proper care. He was so busy with his work in the ministry that he wasn't able to be the full time dad that I think he wanted. Losing my mother was hard for both of us. He loved her a lot."

Professor Lupin looked at me with a different kind of sadness in his eyes. He looked defeated in a way and troubled. "Are you ok Professor?"

As he was about to speak there was a knock on the door. Professor Dumbledore walked in with a parchment in his hand. "Good evening Remus I wanted to go over…" he stopped and looked at me, a bit startled to see my presence in Professor Lupin's office. "Why good evening Ava. Isn't it about time you got prepared for dinner?"

Realizing how late it was I stood and headed towards the door. "I didn't realize how late it was professor. Good night Professor Lupin. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Good night professors." I walked out the door and headed towards my dormitory.

* * *

Dumbledore watched the door close behind him. Remus stood and walked towards the window again.

"You must be careful Remus."

"What did you want to go over with me Albus?" said Remus, ignoring Albus' question.

"Getting close to Ava could be harmful for both you and her."

Remus sighed. "But I just can't let her walk around not knowing the truth Albus. Vanessa wouldn't have wanted…"

"If Vanessa wanted her to know she would have told her."

"That night… that night was…"

Albus walked to Remus and put his hand on his shoulder. "It was horrific. You should have gone to the funeral Remus. It would have eased your pain."

Remus turned and looked at Albus sharply. "She died because I went to her house that night. I just had to see for myself Albus. I had to see her. If I hadn't have gone..."

"We mustn't live in the past Remus."

"I know Albus. That's why I want to live in the present. I don't want to lose Ava. She is all I have left of Vanessa." Albus sighed as he sat down.

"You just need to be careful Remus. You do not want to cause the child more grief than she already has dealt with."


	5. That’s Unexpected

Dear Readers,

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! The reviews make me want to keep writing so keep them coming!!! And the more excited I get the quicker I want to upload a new chapter so definitely keep them coming!! If you have any critiques or mistakes you find feel free to send me message so you can be as detailed as you want. I really enjoy writing this story. I know it might seem like others that are out there but I try to give it my own flare. Anyways on with the story! I'm already a couple chapters ahead so I can't wait to post it and show where I'm envisioning on taking the characters. My main goal is to write Ava's life through all the books! But I'll see. That's me trying to think big!

xoxo  
Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 5** – That's Unexpected

I sat in the library waiting for Oliver to arrive. He told me that he would be a few minutes late because he had to go over to Quidditch stuff with one of his teammates. While I was waiting I was reading a letter I had received from my father earlier in the week.

_ Dear Ava,_

_ I'm glad to hear that things are going well for you this year. I'm glad that you have taken a liking to Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. I hope you are wowing this teacher as you do all your teachers. You never mentioned his name but I hope he sees what a exceptional witch you are turning into. _

_ Work in the ministry has been hectic. With Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban I am completely tied up with work. Which brings me to my next point. I regret to inform you Ava that I will not be signing your permission slip to enter Hogsmeade this year. With heightened security I do not want my daughter to be in any danger. So because of this I will not be letting you wander off the grounds. Hogwarts is the safest place for you and it is Hogwarts I wish you to stay._

_ Also for winter break I wish you to stay at Hogwarts. I have business I need to attend to overseas in the states and I have decided that it will be best for you to stay behind. Keep your grades up. Some day you may be working in the ministry with me. Enjoy the rest of the term. If you need anything feel free to write._

_ -- Anthony Johnson_

I crumpled the paper in my hand and sighed. Of course my father said no. He never let me go into Hogsmeade before why would he start now? Also I wasn't surprised that he is making me stay at Hogwarts this break. My father was never one for showing affection. Even if he wasn't traveling he would find another reason to keep me at school. Ever since my mother died I felt major distance from my father. Before I went to Hogwarts our relationship was very rocky. I blamed my father for the death of my mother. If they hadn't fought she would still be here and I would have the father I always wanted.

* * *

"_I hate you!" I walked into my room and slammed the door. My father loudly banged on my door screaming for me to open the doors._

"_Don't make me have to open this door Ava! Open this door!" He continued to bang on my door as I sat on my bed crying._

"_Go away! I don't want to see you again!" Suddenly my door flung open and my father grabbed me violently and put his finger in my face._

"_When I tell you to do something I want you to do it. I am your father!"_

"_I don't want you to be my papa! It's because of you mommy is dead! You killed her! You're not my papa! I hate you!" Suddenly my father slapped me so hard against my face that I fell to the ground in shock._

"_I'm tired of your shit Ava. I've put up with your shit for 10 years and I'm tired of it!" I sat on the ground holding the side of my face. My cheek was throbbing and beginning to welt. " I should have saved Vanessa instead of you." _

_I looked up at my father… hurt by what he just told me. Slowly he turned out of the room and walked out… leaving me alone and crying silently in my room._

* * *

Ever since that night our relationship changed. A part of me died that night. I suddenly took the crumpled letter and threw it as far as I could. I suddenly heard someone grunt in the distance. I looked up and saw Fred holding my crumpled letter while rubbing his forehead. George was following him close behind while laughing. 

"Nice arm you got there Ava. You hit Fred right in the middle of his forehead. Not many people have that kind of aim!" I smiled as I brushed my hair out of my eyes.

"Well it isn't aim. Fred just has an abnormally large head." Fred came up next to me and punched me playfully in the shoulder.

"Ouch… that really hurts love. But you know you love my abnormally large head. Are you going to kiss my bump to make it feel better?" He raised an eyebrow playfully as I pushed him.

"You're not getting sympathy from me Mr. Weasley. You will have to do something extraordinary to warrant a kiss from me." Fred sat down in the chair next to me as George sat in the chair in front of me.

"So what were you throwing at Fred anyways love? A love letter perhaps?"

I scoffed. "Not quite. It was a letter from my father denying to sign my permission slip to go into Hogsmeade. I will yet again spend my free time in the library while the rest of the school gets to leave school grounds."

Fred and George look at each other giving each other their typical mischievious look. "What are the infamous Weasley twins thinking about now?" I said, eying them cautiously.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking Forge?" said Fred.

"I think so Gred" said George.

"It's time to solemnly swear that we are up to no good!" they said in unison.

I looked at them as if they had gone mental. "What are you guys talking about now? Are my eyebrows going to be ok? Last time you two swore you were up to no good I lost my eyebrows in an experiment gone fowl."

They laughed. "No love! We have the solution to your Hogsmeade problem. Meet us by the lake at midnight. Don't be late! And wear something sexy!" Fred said as he patted my back. Before I had a chance to respond Wood came running into the room.

"Sorry! I got caught up wit' somethin'. But I'm here now!" He stopped and looked at Fred and George. "I see ya keepin' my girl entertained. But if you'll excuse us we have some studying to do. Good nigh' boys."

I smiled at Wood and began to take out my books. Fred mumbled something as he walked out of the library. I looked up at George who said goodbye and walked out of the room and ran after Fred. As they left the room Oliver sat down next to me. He took my hand in his.

"I'm sorry tha' I am late love. Let me make it up to ya. Let me take you out on Halloween. It's the least I can do." He brought my hand up to his lips and gave it a light kiss.

I felt my heart skip a beat. "You don't have to. I wasn't waiting for that long."

He gave my hand another kiss as he lightly grazed his tongue against my skin. "Well… wha' if I said I wanted to take you out because I like you? Would you go out with me then?"

I felt myself almost faint. _He liked me? _"You like me?"

He nodded as he kissed my wrist. "Maybe I do. Would you go out with me this weekend Ava?"

My body tingled as I felt his tongue caress my skin. I had never felt so aroused before in my life. How could I turn him down? "It's a date."

He smiled as he stood up from the table. "Good. I mus' get goin'. I wanted to get some practice early in the mornin'. I'll see you this weekend." He leaned down and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He turned around and walked out of the room.

I couldn't believe what just happened! I'm going on a date with Oliver Wood this weekend! I know this will be a night I will never forget!


	6. Mischief Managed

**Chapter 6** – Mischief Managed

It was midnight and I was standing by the lake freezing. I was wearing a black turtleneck with my Gryffindor scarf and a black beanie. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 5 after. I wasn't completely surprised because Fred and George were not ones to be on time. I told myself I would give them 5 more minutes before I was going to leave, but before I had the chance to leave I saw Fred and George walking side by side in the distance. Fred and George walked up to me and smiled.

"Sorry love. We saw Filch running up the stairs so we had to find another way over here." Said George as he tried to warm up his hands by blowing on them.

Fred put his arm around me. "Hope you weren't waiting too long. I would hate to see you freeze waiting for us out here."

I yawned as I put my arms around myself trying to keep myself warm. "I am going to freeze if you don't tell me why you have me out here… at midnight no less!" I leaned my head on Fred's shoulder as I shuddered slightly from the cold.

Noticing that I was cold, Fred put his arm a bit tighter around me. Surprisingly I enjoyed feeling his warm presence next to mine. Fred and George shot up in height over the summer. Before they were only an inch taller than me but when I saw them on the train they had shot up to a staggering height. Luckily I was pretty tall but my head only reached the bottom of their chin.

I glanced at George and saw him smirk at his brother slightly. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a parchment and handed it to me. I looked at it and was less than impressed. "A piece of old parchment? Is that why you had me wait at midnight in the freezing cold?" I began to hand the parchment back to them. "Thanks boys but I think I'll pass…"

Fred tightened his grip on me, preventing me from moving. George pulled out his wand and pointed it at the parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

I looked at the parchment and saw that it began to change and a message began to appear. "Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, purveyors of aids to magical mischief-makers, are proud to present the Marauders Map. What is this?" As I opened it Fred began to explain what it was.

"It's a map of Hogwarts." Said Fred.

"It shows the location of everyone…" said George

"And it shows 7 passages out of Hogwarts and into Hogsmeade." Said the two in unison.

I looked at the map more closely. They were right. On the map I could see Fred, George, and I on the map. Filch was walking down a hallway, Professor Lupin was in his office, while Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in front of Lupin. "This is amazing! Where did you get it?"

Fred and George looked at each other and smirked. "Filch's office… first year," The said in unison.

"Who are Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs?" I said as I continued to examine the map.

"Who knows…" said George.

"All I know is that they are the secret to our success!" exclaimed Fred. "George and I were in trouble as usual and were in Filch's office when I noticed a drawer marked 'Confiscated and Highly Dangerous'."

"That was all the incentive we needed," said George. "We grabbed the first thing we could from the drawer and that's how we discovered it!"

"No wonder you always seem to know where I am Fred." I looked up at him and smirked. "So I gather you are going to show me how to get into Hogsmeade then?"

"Of course! That's why we are here." Smiled Fred. "I always want to help a damsel in distress."

Fred and George showed me how to enter Hogsmeade through a passage by the lake. It was one of the longer passages but George told me that no one ever comes that way so if I were to go without the map I would have a greater chance of not being caught.

On our way back to the dormitory I gave Fred and George a giant hug. "You guys have no idea how much this means to me!" George laughed as I saw Fred blush lightly. "Now I'll be able to go to Hogsmeade with Oliver this weekend." Immediately I saw Fred flinch.

"You're going out with Wood this weekend?" said George. "Congrads. Make sure he keeps his paws off you!"

I smiled wickedly at George. "What if I didn't want his paws off me?"

"I have to get up in the morning. Good night." Suddenly Fred stormed upstairs and I heard a door slam.

Startled, I looked at George. "What is his problem?"

George looked at me questioningly. "Do you have to ask? Just give him a day. I think he had too much pumpkin juice. I'll see you tomorrow Ava." He turned and walked back up the stairs. I turned and plopped myself on the couch in the common room and stared at the fire. What is wrong with Fred?

George walked into his room seeing Fred throwing his things around the room. "What is the matter with you?"

"I can't find my bloody pajama pants!" Fred said as he threw his luggage across the room.

George sat on the bed and pulled off his scarf. "Don't get all bleeding pissed because Wood had the balls to ask her out before you did. You need to get over it."

"Wood is such a prat! He's just going to fucking use her like he does with every girl!" Fred found his pants and put them on angrily.

"Ava is a grown girl. She can handle herself Fred." George sighed as he took off his shirt and put on his pajama bottoms. "I think you should just let them be and find someone else to fondle. You know how much Ava likes him."

"I don't want to see him treat her like a slag like he does with those other girls! She is worth more than that!" Fred plopped on his bed as he got under the covers. "Ugh why is it so fucking hot in here?!" he said angrily as he threw the blanket off his bed.

"Twin you just need to relax. Ava is a smart girl. She'll see what Wood is soon enough. Just go to sleep and relax." George rolled over and let out a big sigh.

Fred sat awake in his bed long into the night thinking of ways to stop Wood from being with Ava.


	7. What is this Feeling?

Dear Readers,  
Thank you so much for reviewing! It gives me tingly feelings inside! Well here is chapter 7. I hope you like reading it because I loved writing it! I sure know that I wish I was Ava! haha

x.o.x.o.  
Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 7** – What is this feeling?

Thursday I went to the Gryffindor Quidditch practice. I tried to make myself look as appealing as possible and give Oliver a little show. I was wearing my white button up blouse with the top two buttons unbuttoned and I wore a skirt to give Wood a peek at my long legs. While Wood was directing the players on different plays I often caught Wood winking at me. While they were in the middle of a play Wood, flying around the hoops, blew me a kiss. I blushed as I lowered my head shyly.

Suddenly, however, I heard Angelina yell. "WOOD LOOK OUT!" My gaze shot up towards Wood and I saw a bludger flying straight at Wood. The bludger grazed his arm causing him to lose his balance on his broom. Katie quickly flew towards him and helped Wood regain his balance. I looked towards Fred and George and immediately there was chaos on the field.

"What the hell is your problem Fred!" yelled Wood from across the field.

Fred flew to the ground as the rest of the team followed suit. "It wasn't my fault. It was a rogue bludger. I tried to keep it from hitting Harry! I didn't think it would hit you." Fred took off his robe and began walking towards the Quidditch locker room.

Wood quickly came up behind him and pushed him. "I think you were tryin' to hit me. You have been a complete arse on the field and I migh' just bench you in the next match on Saturday!"

Fred turned around and eyed Wood. I got a bit nervous. Fred was a few inches taller than each other but both seemed like they would give each other a good beating. I ran to the field as George stepped in between them. "There is no need for squabble. If Fred said he didn't mean it then he didn't mean it. Why would Fred want to hurt you?"

I ran onto the field and yelled for Wood. Wood looked over at me and then at Fred, who seemed to be getting redder with anger. "I think I know why." Said Wood harshly. "Practice will continue tomorrow," he yelled to everyone. "Maybe that will give Weasley here some time to cool off!" Fred grunted loudly, raised his hands in anger, and walked away towards to the locker room and with that everyone broke up and began walking to follow suit. Wood sighed and began to walk towards me. He grabbed me by the waist and smiled at me. Wood was about the same height as me. He didn't tower over me like Fred and George did and it was nice being able to look straight into his eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked. I rubbed his arm seeing that the bludger ripped his uniform slightly.

He smiled as he pulled me close to him. "I'm ok now." He smiled at me wickedly. My body began to tingle as I felt his body press into mine. He brushed his lips against my ear sending shivers down my spine. I giggle slightly as my hips slowly began to press into his. Wood groaned into my ear lightly. "You sure do know how to make me excited." I blushed as he slowly began to lead my hand to bulge in his pants. I gasped and tried to pull away. He held onto my hand tightly and made me caress the outline of his excitement.

"What are you doing?" I said shakily. I wasn't sure if I could turn any redder.

He bit my earlobe and he breathed heavily into my ear. "I'm showin' ya what you do to me." I tried to pull away again but he bit into my neck. I moaned lightly as my legs began to buckle. I could feel a wetness growing inside my pants when I suddenly I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey Ava! Dumbledore wishes to see you!" I immediately pulled away from Wood. My heart was racing as I saw Wood wink at me playfully.

I looked at Wood. "Uhh… I'll see you Sunday!"

As I walked away I heard Wood yell to me hungrily. "I can't wait…" I ran to Dumbledore's office as quickly as I could. I could not believe what just happened! Wood had always been touchy-feely with me but this was going over into something new that I wasn't used to. I wasn't sure how I felt about his forwardness like that. My body obviously was giving in but my mind kept wanting to hold me back. I didn't know how to react to Wood's advances. I never known anyone who was that forceful with me.

* * *

I walked up the stairwell into Dumbledore's office. I walked in and the door closed behind me. Dumbledore was standing in front of his desk looking at a piece of parchment. He nodded at me and sat down behind his desk. "Hello Ava… have a seat." 

I sat down and looked around the room. This was the first time I was in Dumbledore's office. "You asked to see me professor?"

He nodded as he took a sip out of a goblet. "You father has written to me expressing his concern about your security. He told me that he wanted you to get some extra lessons in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I assured him that you were getting an adequate teaching with the core lesson. However he still insisted that you got a one-on-one lesson. I spoke with professor Lupin and he agreed to help you with your studies. You will start your lessons with him will begin tomorrow evening."

I nodded as I stood from the chair. "Thank you professor. My father was always overly cautious. I understand why he would want me to have extra lessons. I'm looking forward to them."

As I began to walk out the room Dumbledore stopped me. "I know you will get a lot of these lessons. I have a feeling that you will find more about yourself as the lessons progress."

I nodded as I headed out the door. "Thank you professor. I will go to these lessons with an open mind. I walked out of his office and headed back to my dormitory.

As Dumbledore sat and watched the door close he clenched his hands together and went deep into thought.

* * *

When I reached the Gryffindor common room I saw Fred sitting in the common room looking into the fire. His hair was damp, obvious that he had just gotten out of the shower. He was wearing flannel pajama bottoms and no shirt. I walked up to the couch and sat next to him. For a few minutes we didn't say a word to each other. Fred never turned to acknowledge my presence but I knew he knew I was next to him. Finally I broke the silence. "How are you doing?"

He sighed as he slouched into the couch more. "I'm just peachy. You saw how practice went Ava. I am just really stressed. My back neck hurts and I just want to be alone for a while."

I smiled. "I like to be alone too. Good thing I found you because we can be alone together." He smirked slightly as he obviously remembered that he told me the same thing in the library. As he tilted his head he rubbed the side of his neck and sighed.

I moved closer to him and pushed him on the floor while I sat behind him. "Let the master do her work." I began to rub his neck and shoulders firmly. Fred let out a relaxing moan as I worked the knots in his neck. "You're really tense. You need to relax more." Fred just moaned again and sighed heavily. I smiled to myself as I kneaded my thumbs into the knots in his neck.

As I ran my thumb up his spine I felt Fred softly run his fingers down the front of my leg. I gasped slightly at the unexpectedness of what Fred was doing. Fred had heard my gasp and immediately pulled away. I felt a bit of sadness sting me as he pulled away from my leg. _What was he doing? Why was he doing that? Why did I like it? God why did I pull away? _Slowly I brushed my leg against his hand, urging him to caress my leg again. Fred immediately got the hint and began feathering his fingers against my leg. My body tingled as he playfully caressed my calf. My body brushed up against him as I began to breathe heavily.

Suddenly I felt Fred press his lips lightly against my leg and I moaned very quietly as my back arched slightly. My mind began to race as Fred kissed my inner thigh playfully.

_What was happening? I like Wood! But god Fred feels good too. He is completely different than Oliver. Fred has this playful side that I love while Oliver has this rugged masculinity that my body melts over. Oliver however likes to take what he wants from me whereas Fred seems to be cautious and more giving. I don't know what to do! I have a date with Oliver in 3 days!_

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Fred stopped kissing my thigh and looked up. Once again Angelina came to my rescue. "Hey Ava can you help me for a second? I am having trouble with Runes and I need you to help me." I got up and walked up after Angelina quickly.

When I closed Angelina's door she immediately squealed. "WHAT WAS THAT?! I thought you liked Wood!!" Katie, who was lying on her bed immediately sat up and Alicia walked into the room and smiled.

I ran my fingers through my hair. "I know! I do like him! I don't know what happened down there! I was giving him a neck massage because he looked really tense and next thing I know…"

"He's kissing your thigh while you moan in pleasure?!" Angelina had this completely shocked look on her face. I winced when Angelina spoke because sure enough both Katie and Alicia ran towards me talking a mile a minute.

"MERLIN'S BEARD DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN?"  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"  
"NO WONDER FRED TRIED TO KILL WOOD WITH THE BLUDGER!"  
"WOOD IS GOING TO FLIP WHEN HE FINDS OUT!"

I stepped back overwhelmed with their outbursts. "Woah woah woah! Wood isn't going to flip! We haven't even gone on a date. In fact I haven't even gone on a date with Fred either! And Wood isn't going to find out anything… right?" I looked at the girls and they smiled.

"Of course not!" said Katie.  
"It's our secret!" said Alicia.  
"You just need to decide which guy you want soon because neither of them will be willing to share you." Said Angelina cautiously.

I nodded as I bid them goodnight. I walked to my room and crawled into bed. I sat back and thought about what happened in the day. I can't believe that happened with Fred! I only thought of him as a friend but this sure does change things. As I drifted into sleep I found myself smiling.


	8. A Distant Memory

**Chapter 8** – A Distant Memory

_Remus sat inside Hogshead. On the table in front of him was a half a mug of firewhiskey next to the Daily Prophet lying on the table. Remus looked at his watch and he sighed. _'Where is she?'_ he asked himself over and over. But as he started to lose hope she walked in._

_Vanessa Bradley walked into the tavern looking around. She had never failed to leave Remus breathless. She had her hair down and in curls. He hair was light brown and flowed down her back. Remus missed running his fingers through her hair as she laid her head on his chest. He missed looking into her light green eyes that seemed to pierce his soul. She was wearing a maroon v-neck sweater, a black scarf, and black jeans that fit her body perfectly._

_Finally her eyes met with Remus' and his heart froze. He saw sadness in her eyes that painfully pierced his heart. He wanted to take her into his arms like he did the night before. He wanted to take her away and live a happy life with her. He wanted to tell her how much he felt about her. He wanted to tell her how much he needed her._

_Vanessa walked up to where Remus was sitting and sat in front of him. When she sat down she avoided his eye contact. Remus ordered another firewhiskey and looked at Vanessa. He wanted deeply to know what she was thinking but all he could do was sit and patiently await her response… a response he was not looking forward to hearing._

"_I'm sorry Remus…" Remus braced himself. "But we can't see each other anymore." Aberforth walked to the table and brought Vanessa her firewhiskey. She took it in her hands and stared into the mug… avoiding Remus' gaze._

"_Vanessa… please give us a chance." Remus gazed intently at Vanessa. He took her hand in his as she kept her head lowered._

"_I can't Remus. That night…"_

"_Don't tell me you regret it Vanessa. I couldn't bear to hear it," said Remus sadly._

_Vanessa inhaled deeply fighting the tears that wanted to pour down her face. "It's not that I don't regret it." She looked up into his grey eyes. "I'm getting married tomorrow Remus. I am going to marry Anthony."_

_Remus tried hard to fight his anger. "You don't love him Vanessa. You're making a mistake. I know I don't have a great job like him but I will give you everything I have and more! Don't do this!"_

_Vanessa put her head in her hands and tears began to fall down her face. Remus sat back and watched Vanessa cry silently. He died a little inside with every tear that fell down her face but he knew that she was making a monstrous mistake. "Do you love me?"_

_Vanessa let out a quiet sob as more tears began to fall down her face. Remus asked her again. "Do you love me?" Vanessa still did not respond. "God damnit Vanessa it's not a hard question to answer! Do you love me or not?!"_

"_Remus…" Vanessa sobbed quietly. "I'm pregnant." _

_Remus sat back stunned. "What… what do you… pregnant?" Vanessa nodded as she began to cry louder. "Is it my child?" Remus asked cautiously._

_Vanessa sat back and looked at Remus. "I don't know and I'm scared Remus." Remus put his head in his hands as he thought. He knew why she would be scared. She had every right to be. If Anthony found out it was my child Vanessa would be in danger. If it was my child there might be a possibility that the child would be like me. He or she would have to be fearful every time there was a full moon. Anthony would definitely not be supportive of having a child like me._

"_Be with me Vanessa… I will love our child no matter whose it is or what they are! I will take care of both of you! Just give me the chance!" Remus said to her in a desperate plea. Vanessa just shook her head._

"_And where will we live Remus? In your one room flat… living from paycheck to paycheck… going into hiding and living in fear with every full moon? I love you Remus… I was able to do that when it was just me… but I can't do that to my child." Vanessa stood from the table and looked down at Remus. "There is a great chance that the baby is Anthony's. Anthony will not stand to have another man raise his baby. We need to end this Remus… I can't fully give myself to Anthony with you in my life. I'm sorry."_

_Vanessa turned and just like that she was out of the door. Remus lowered his head and sobbed to himself silently._

Remus jolted violently from sleep. He looked around and saw that he was in his room. He turned and looked at his nightstand and grabbed a photo that was sitting on his desk. It was a picture of Vanessa and Remus when they were 18. Vanessa was sitting on a swing while Remus stood behind her holding onto the swing. Vanessa smiled as Remus kissed her cheek. He looked at the photo and a single tear fell down his face.


	9. First Lesson

**Chapter 9**: First Lesson

The next evening I walked up the stairs and stood outside Professor Lupin's office. Tonight was going to be our first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. The whole day I avoided Fred and Oliver like the plague. I went to class and after I just immediately ran into my room. I wanted some time to think about what was going on with my relationships with Fred and Oliver.

I liked both of them in different ways. I've lusted for Oliver ever since I was sorted into Gryffindor. He was my dream. Fred, however, was that diamond in the rough. I never noticed him until yesterday night. I wanted to see where things would go with Fred but I didn't want to give up on my chances with Oliver. However I was going to put off thinking about them until after my lesson tonight with Lupin. So with that said I opened the door and walked into Professor Lupin's office.

I walked in and looked around his office. Professor Lupin was sitting down in the corner looking at a piece of paper in his hand. When I walked in he immediately put the paper into his pocket and greeted me. "Good evening Ava. How are you doing this evening?"

I shrugged as I took off my scarf. "I'm doing fine. Just tired and I have a lot of work to do. I have to do research for my history of magic class."

He nodded as walked forward and sat on a chest sitting in front of me. "Well we must get started now shall we?" He pulled out his wand and scratched my head. "Have you heard of the Patronus charm?"

I nodded. "Yes I've read about them. It drives away dementors." He nodded as he stepped up from the chest.

"Do you know how to cast one?"

I shook my head as I pulled out my wand. "That's why I am here isn't it? Look Professor Lupin. I suggest that we get on with this. I know you don't want to be here as much as I do. My father can be overly cautious when it comes to things."

He studied me. "Get on with this? You do speak frank." I bit my tongue as I sat back a little embarrassed. I never talked back to a teacher before. Professor Lupin only smiled. "You're just like your mother. Learning the Patronus Charm is a good piece of magic. To cast the Patronus you must say, 'Expecto Patronum.' Why don't you give it a try?"

I nodded and readied my wand. "Expecto Patronum!" Suddenly... nothing happened… I tried again, "Expecto Patronum!" Again nothing happened. For the next few minutes I tried to conjure the patronus but nothing happened. Professor Lupin stopped me.

"What are you thinking about?"

I sighed as I stood looking into the air. "I'm thinking about conjuring this charm so I can go back to my dormitory."

Professor Lupin sat down behind me. "Think of your favorite memory? What is your happiest moment?"

I sat and thought to myself. "Close your eyes and think," professor Lupin said softly. I closed my eyes and thought to myself. I closed my eyes and let my mind lose itself in my thoughts.

"_Mommy! Mommy! Look at me!" I slid down the slide in the neighborhood park down the street. My mother looked up at me from where she was sitting. She was sitting on a blanket with a book in her hand. The sunlight sparkled though he light brown hair as my wind caressed her face. She was wearing a yellow dress with light green flowers that flowed in the light breeze. My mother smiled and put her book down and ran towards me. She picked me up in her arms and laughed as she threw me into the air._

_As she sat me down onto the grass I looked up and saw a silvery wolf stood on the blanket. The wolf seemed to be floating in the air. As I looked closer I could see that the wolf was slightly transparent. "Mommy! Look!" My mother looked up and he smile fell slightly. She looked around the playground and didn't find anything out of place. Suddenly she looked up and fireworks filled the sky. I smiled and jumped with excitement. My mother just sat back and watched with a smile on her face._

"Expecto Patronum!" Suddenly my wand lit up and a silvery lemur flew out of my wand and danced across the room. I looked up and professor Lupin and he just sat back and smiled. When the lemus faded away Professor Lupin stood and walked over to his desk.

"That would conclude our lessons for the day. I hope you do well with your History of Magic research. I will see you next week."

I nodded as I put on my scarf and bid professor Lupin goodbye. When I walked out the door I felt triumphant. I was so proud that I was able to administer such an advanced charm. As I turned the corner I bumped into someone hard causing me to fall to the ground. When I looked up to reach the hand that helped me up I heard that deep Scottish voice. "Be careful next time love. I wouldn' want to bruise that beautiful body of yours."

I blushed as I stood. I brushed off my skirt as he brushed my hair behind my ear and began to nibble on my ear. I giggled and pulled away. "Are you ready for Sunday?" He nodded as he pulled me closer to nibble on my ear again. I pushed him playfully as I ran my finger down the side of his neck. "Well no need to spoil your dinner before then."

As I tried to walk away he pressed his body against mine as he kissed my neck. "Who says I can't get a taste now eh?" He bit into my neck playfully as he took off my scarf.

I started to breathe heavily as he fingers caressed my collarbone. Once again my mind told me to pull away but my body kept me still. I didn't know which to listen to. But before I could pull away I felt Oliver being pulled off of me. I looked up and saw Fred pushing Wood against the wall as he had his hands around his neck.

Gasping I ran towards them and tried to pull Fred off. "Fred! Fred stop! You're hurting him!" Fred's grip just tightened.

"I'm not going to let him be all over you like that! He was attacking you!"

I pushed Fred off of Wood and looked him in the eyes. "What is your problem?!"

"My problem?" Fred looked shocked and angry. "He's the one with the problem! He doesn't know when to stop!"

I sighed angrily. "And what if I didn't want him to stop Fred? Did you ever think of that?!"

Fred looked at me and more anger filled his eyes. "Then that just makes you another one of his slags."

Suddenly the room filled with the sound of me slapping Fred across the face. Fred's head turned slightly when I hit him and his face began to turn red. Without looking at me Fred walked away and quickly disappeared down the hall. I turned and ran up to Wood who was coughing and gasping for air. "I'm so sorry! I don't know what happened…"

He coughed again and looked up at me. "You have nothin' to be sorry 'bout. It's him with the problem. I won' let this ruin our date." I sighed as I walked with him back to the dormitory. I can't believe Fred just called me a slag. Just thinking about what he said cut into me so deeply that I tried to stop myself from crying. I guess Fred wasn't as great as I thought.


	10. Halloween

Dear Readers,

Apologies for the lateness in getting this chapter up! I just started school again and I was getting all that in order. I love you guys and thank you so much for the reviews!!

x.o.x.o

Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 10:** Halloween

I woke up in the morning with a big yawn. I looked around and looked out the window seeing that it was light outside. As I was about to close my eyes I felt someone jump on my bed. I look up and see it was Lindsay.

"It's about time you're up! Are you excited?!" She squealed as she grabbed my shoulders. Of course I was excited to be going on my first date with Oliver Wood. However I felt really guilty about it. Ever since that night in the hallway Fred and I have not spoken. I hadn't even spoken to George much because he was always around Fred when I saw him. Fred did not seem to want to apologize for what he did to Oliver or what he said to me. I still felt hurt by him calling me a slag. I hadn't done anything to deserve that sort of talk and I thought Fred had known that.

"No I'm not excited to be going out on a date with the magnificent Oliver Wood." I smiled as I pushed Lindsay off my bed and got up. As Lindsay laughed I saw Leah walk into the room. I began to make my bed as Leah sat on hers.

"I see Lindsay took the liberty of waking you up. Have you thought about what you're going to wear?" As I finished making my bed I sat and thought.

"I wasn't sure. It's really cold outside so probably just jeans and a sweater." I put on my socks and then stretched.

Lindsay just looked at me and ran into my closet. I decided to lay back on my bed as Lindsay prowled my closet for something to wear for Mr. Wood. "You don't have anything Ava! How about you wear my pink sweater? It will go great with your skin!" I looked over at Leia and saw her roll her eyes.

"She is not going to wear that ghastly thing of yours. Here Ava… if you want something of better quality you should wear one of my clothes." She walked over to her suitcase and rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for and threw it at me. I looked over at Lindsay and saw her frown slightly. Lindsay was of a poorer Muggle family. My heart went out for her as I grabbed the sweater from Leia. "It's a size smaller than what you wear so it will be tight. But I doubt Wood would mind." Said Leia as she sat on her bed and pulled her long black hair into a ponytail.

I stood up and walked into the bathroom and put on the sweater Leia gave me to wear. She gave me a white sweater with a foldover neckline that left my shoulders bare. The bottom of the sweater went down past my hips. I put on a pair of dark jeans I had lying on the floor and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked pretty nice if I do say so myself.

I walked into the bedroom and did a slow turn. "What do you think?" The girls smiled an nodded.

"Looks good!" said Lindsay.

"I told you that I have good taste." Said Leia.

* * *

I walked down the steps into the common room around 1. I had on the white sweater and my jeans. I also wore white mary jane shoes and small diamond earrings that once belonged to my mother. My hair was down and Lindsay helped me style them in curls that fell past my shoulders. There were various Gryffindors sitting around the room. I looked around and saw George sitting on the arm of the couch in front of the fire looking at me with a side smirk. He nudged someone that was lying on the couch and causing them to sit up – of course it was Fred.

George got up from his seat and walked towards me eyeing me up and down. "Wow Ava. You look really good. You didn't have you get all dressed up for me!"

I smiled as I looked up at him. "I know but you're worth it my love." I put my arm around his waist as I looked at Fred. He was sitting on the couch and looking at me. I wanted to go over and talk to him but my stubbornness refused to give him the satisfaction. If Fred Weasley wanted to be friends with me he needed to admit his wrongdoings. My life was fine before without Fred Weasley and it will be fine now. As George put his arm around my shoulder I heard Oliver call my name.

"Ava!" I turned and looked right into those seductive brown eyes of his. "You look so sexy in tha' outfit. Are you ready ta go?" Oliver smiled wickedly and slid his arm around my waist.

George took his arm from around my shoulder and put his hands in his pockets. "Have fun Ava. I'll see you tonight."

I smiled at George. "Definitely." I looked over at where Fred was sitting and I could only see his feet hanging off the side of the couch as he was lying on the couch facing the fire. I sighed and put my arms around Oliver's waist and the two of us walked out the door.

* * *

As Ava and Oliver walked out of the room George turned slowly towards the couch and returned to where he was sitting. He glanced over at Fred and saw that he was staring into the fire angrily. George Sighed as he crossed his arms. "You want to talk about it?"

Fred sighed angrily and sat up. He put his head in his hands and sighed loudly. George sat down next to his brother and put his feet up on the table in front of them. "She looked good didn't she?"

Fred slouched in his seat and crossed his arms. "Better than good."

George looked into the fire and pulled out the marauder's map. "I think it's time to solemnly swear we're up to no good. Don't you agree?"

Fred looked down held the map in his hands and looked down at it. He could see Ava and Wood walking down the path by the lake into Hogsmede. "Are you talking about doing a little recon?"

George nodded and sat up in his seat, smiling wickedly.


	11. The Date

Dear readers,

YAY I'M UPDATING! Thought this day would never come did you?? Yeah school is lame! Keeps me from updating quickly enough. Oh well… that's the price I have to pay in order to be a good student. Anyways hope you enjoy!

x.o.x.o.

Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 11:** The Date

Ava Johnson and Oliver Wood made their way down the path by the lake into Hogsmeade. Ava shuddered slightly as the wind brushed her bare shoulders. Oliver turned and looked down at her.

"Ya cold? I can think of a way to warm ya up." He smiled wickedly as he hand lowered down my waist and brushed my bottom lightly.

I giggled as I kept walking. "I know you can think of many ways. Besides I don't think it would be good getting close in the woods." As I turned around the bend Wood grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him.

"You dun' like the idea of spendin' a romantic night with me unda the trees?" He brushed his fingers against my bare shoulder and then placed a kiss where his fingers were touching.

I shivered as I laughed nervously. "Oh yeah. Losing my virginity in the middle of nowhere out in the open sounds very appealing." Wood growled hungrily and put his arms tightly around me as he nibbled on my neck harshly. I pulled away and pushed him off me playfully but firmly. "I don't think that would be a good idea Oliver."

He grabbed me harshly and breathed heavily into my ear. "I dinna know you were a Virgin love. Don' worry I'll be gentle." He bit into my neck hard, breaking the skin slightly. My eyes winced as he began to suckle on the bit mark.

"Oliver! Get off me!" I yelled as I tried to push away. He grabbed my sweater and ripped the top of it as he was trying to pull it off. "Stop it!" I yelled again but it was to no avail. He was not going to stop. As he ripped my sweater he tried to weasel his other hand inside my jeans. I gasped as I raised my hand and slapped him across his face with intense force. He looked at me stunned and then continued to put his hands down my pants. I raised my hand again and scratched him across his eyes. He yelped in pain and put his hand up to his eye. He looked up at me with anger in his eyes. I backed away from him slightly, looking at him in fear.

As he tried to step closer to me I suddenly heard the snapping of wood above where we were standing. I gasped when I looked up. I saw a branch tumbling quickly towards the ground that landed in between us, barely missing the top of Wood's head.

"Wha' the hell was tha'?" The both of us looked around and in the trees. As I was about to speak the wind began to blow violently. The leaves on the ground flew into the air around us. I backed up as the wind pushed me away from Wood and towards Hogsmeade. I yelled for Wood but heard nothing. I could barely even see him with the dirt and leaves filling the air creating a tornado around him. I fell to the ground and landed on my ankle. I yelped in pain as I crawled into a hollow tree to get away from the whirlwind. After about a minute the wind finally stopped.

I paused for a few moments to see if I could hear anything. There was complete silence. As I was about to crawl out I heard someone yell. Not knowing who it was I crawled deeper into the tree. I heard the same voice yell again. This time I heard them yell my name. I pulled my knees towards my chest as I stared out into the open. I hoped it wasn't Wood. I didn't want him to find me. I couldn't believe he tried to attack me. I always thought of him being playful but I didn't think of him as being a predator.

All of a sudden I saw a foot step in front of the tree. I began to shake as I tried to quiet my already heavy breathing. He found me. There was nothing I can do. I just closed my eyes and held onto my knees tightly. I felt a tear fall down my face. I just wanted to be home. I wanted to be far away from here as possible. Unexpectedly I felt a finger wipe my tear away. Then I heard the sweetest voice I had ever heard. "It's ok Ava. I'm here."

I looked up and looked into those soft gentle eyes. Fred knelt in front of me as he rubbed my shoulder lightly. I sighed in relief as I leaned into his chest seeking shelter. He put his arms around me as he yelled. "George I found her!" Fred pulled me out of the tree and helped me stand up. I looked and saw George running into the clearing with a look of relief. As I stood I winced as my ankle throbbed in pain. Fred looked at me with a concerned look on his face as he helped me towards a log and sat me down. He knelt down in front of me and gently pulled off my shoe, examining my ankle.

"I'm sorry Ava. We didn't mean to get you caught up in the tornado. That was only meant for Wood," said George as he sat next to me and looked down at his brother. "How does it look Fred?"

Fred twisted my foot slightly and I gasped in pain. He shook his head as he looked up at his brother. "She sprained it. We need to get her back to Hogwarts." He turned around and helped me get onto his back. He put his arms underneath my knees as I put my arms around his neck. George stood and began to walk next to his brother.

"How long were you two following me?" I said as I looked ahead. I saw Hogwarts in the distance.

"Since you left the common room. We thought it would be best to follow you. Good thing we did." Said George.

I nodded and thought about what Wood tried to do back in the woods. "I didn't think he was that kind of person."

"Not many people do. I think he has never been turned down before." Said George.

"What did you two do with him?"

George smiled as he looked towards his brother. "I'm not sure. I didn't create the tornado. Fred did. I only broke the branch. What DID you do with him Fred?"

Fred looked as his brother and then motioned his head towards the lake. "I just sent him somewhere to cool off for a bit."

I smiled as I leaned my head against his. I lightly kissed his cheek as I closed my eyes. "Thank you." Fred smiled to himself as the three of them walked towards Hogwarts.


	12. A Scratch in the Night

Didn't think I'd update THIS quickly did ya? I'm always full of surprises:)

x.o.x.o.  
Tinkie

* * *

**Chapter 12:** A Scratch in the night

On the way back to Hogwarts my foot ached with pain. I couldn't believe what had just happened less than an hour ago. I was completely astonished at what Wood had tried to do to me. For the first time however I was happy that Fred had his extremely jealous side. If he hadn't been around I wouldn't have known what would have happened. As we walked through the doors of Hogwarts Fred sat me down on a bench beside the doors.

He bent backwards and I heard a loud cracking noise. "God Ava. Lay off the pumpkin pasties!" He smirked as he dodged the shoe I threw towards his head.

George laughed as he sat next to me. "Excuse my no good brother. He is just jealous that he had your stature. He would be able to make a monstrous beater. He wouldn't need the bludger to knock people off their brooms. He could just tackle them!"

I sighed as I crossed my arms over my chest. "If my foot was a big as your heads I would be admitted as an attraction at Mulziber's Wizard Freak-show!"

Fred and George laughed. George put his arm around my shoulders as Fred knelt down in front of me to examine my foot. My foot had swollen a fair bit and was beginning to turn a purplish color. Fred took my foot into his hand and looked up at me. "Can you move it at all love?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. When I try my foot hurts really bad."

Fred looked down at my foot. "I'm going to twist it slightly and let me know how badly it hurts. Ok?"

I nodded as I closed my eyes. Fred slowly twisted my foot to the left and I let out a huge scream. "Merlin's beard that bloody hurts! Stop it! Stop it!" Fred immediately stopped and stood up.

"I'm going to get Madame Pomfrey. George stay with Ava and I'll be back." And with that Fred turned and ran down the hallway towards the stairs.

I sighed and leaned against George. He began to rub my shoulder lightly. I looked around the hall and saw students slowly walking by me and staring. I looked down at myself and saw why. My hair was completely knotted and filled with leaves and a few twigs. Leia's sweater was completely ripped. Only a few threads held the collar together and my jeans were torn and covered with dirt. I breathed in heavily and closed my eyes. "What a day."

George put his arm tighter around me and looked down at me. "It's ok. You don't look that bad. You could look worse."

"True. I could look like Marcus Flint." I smiled as I saw Flint walking down the hall with his fellow Slytherin teammates. I looked up at George and saw him grin.

"Now that's the spirit!" He patted my back hard causing me to lean forward and hit my foot on the floor. I yelped in pain as George winced. "Sorry! I get excited when I hear anything about Quidditch."

I sighed and closed my eyes again. "Please don't mention Quidditch. I don't want to be around Quidditch for a while."

As if on cue I heard the doors to the hall fly open and hear gasps from students in the hall. Oliver Wood stormed into the hall. With every step he took there was an echo of wet shoes squishing on the stone floor. Wood was completely drenched from head to toe. His skin was a pale blue, most likely due to the coldness of the lake. Draped over his shoulders were strands of kelp. He had an embarrassed look on his face as he quickly walked past the row of girls who were giggling at his appearance. As he walked past me our eyes met. My body cringed as he looked at me but as soon as we made eye contact he quickly walked away and up the stairs.

* * *

Fred had reached Madame Pomfrey and told her of how I fell and injured myself. Thankfully he left out Wood from the entire story. All that she had to know was that I was walking in the woods with Fred and George when I tripped over a log and sprained my ankle. Madame Pomfrey was able to get me transported up to the hospital wing fairly quickly. When Madame Pomfrey examined my foot she saw that I had completely ruptured a ligament. Because of this I was going to be in the hospital wing for about 2 days. I was in the wing for less than a couple hours before I heard a commotion outside. Madame Pomfrey ran into the hospital wing and yelled. "Everyone remain in your beds!"

Startled I rose up from my nap and looked around. "What is it Madame Pom…"

"Silence! I want complete silence from everyone! I want you to remain in your beds and shoot emergency lights if you see anything strange!" Madame Pomfrey ran out of the wing and the door closed behind her.

Confused I looked around at the 3 other students in the wing. 1 was still asleep while the other two looked around in panic. I turned to the girl closest to me. She was a first year and from the looks of it she had measles. She looked like she was in Hufflepuff. I remembered seeing her sitting around Cedric one dinner. "What's going on? Do you know?"

She began to shake as she hid under her covers. I looked at the other student across from me. He was older than me and had a broken arm from getting too close to the whomping willow. He had a loosened Ravenclaw tie around his neck. "He's here. Sirius Black is in Hogwarts!" My eyes opened widely as I looked around the room in a panic.

"Here? In Hogwarts? How?" I looked towards the boy for answers.

"I'm not quite sure. All I heard was that he was in Hogwarts from a few screaming kids down the hall. Sounded like he was seen at the Gryffindor Tower." He leaned back and scratched his head. "I think he might be after that Harry Potter. Things have been going strange around here since that kid started going here! I'm just happy I'm done with this place this year!" He turned his head towards the door and tried to listen to what was going on.

I have never really talked with Harry Potter that often. He was a year younger than I and I only caught him when he was going in and out of the common room. I talked to Ron only a couple times because he was Fred and George's younger brother. Hermione I only talked to when I wanted clarification on my homework. My father constantly told me about how Sirius Black murdered 12 muggles and aided in the murder of Lily and James Potter. Was he coming back to Hogwarts to finish the job? All I knew for sure was that Hogwarts was not safe anymore. Interrupting my thoughts the double doors to the dormitory flung open and Professor Lupin hurried into the hospital wing. "Professor Lupin!" I yelled across the hall.

He quickly walked towards me and looked around. "Is everyone all right?"

I nodded. "He didn't come here. We're all right."

He nodded and looked around. "We are going to be putting dementors outside the door for protection. None of you are to leave the hall. Your safety I plan on taking into my own hands Ava."

I looked up at Professor Lupin. "Thank you professor." As I was about to lay back the doors flew open again and I heard familiar yelling.

"How did this happen?! Hogwarts is supposed to be a safe place for my daughter and you let Sirius Black enter the grounds?!" My dad stormed into the wing while Professor McGonagall quickly followed.

"I assure you that we are investigating this. Professor Dumbledore is personally inspecting the grounds and placing stricter magical enforcement to the grounds!"

My father walked towards me and stopped in his tracks when he looked at Professor Lupin. "What is he doing here?"

Professor McGonagall looked at him in confusion. "Mr. Johnson?"

"What is Remus doing here?!" The two men stared at each other as I looked at my father in confusion. As I was about to tell my father that he was a professor I was interrupted.

"He is the new defense against the arts teacher." Professor Dumbledore walked into the wing. "Mr. Johnson I'm glad that you could come in such short notice. I wanted you to come with me so I could discuss a few matters with you. Please this way."

Dumbledore motioned towards the door. I looked at my father and he had fire in his eyes. Without saying a word he walked out of the door while Dumbledore followed. I looked up at Professor Lupin. "Professor? Why was my dad…"

"I must be going Ava. I will check up on you later. Goodnight." And with that he quickly walked out of the hospital wing. I stared at the doors in confusion. What had gotten into my father?


	13. The Great Hall

Dear Readers,

Hey everyone! Thanks to those who reviewed. I made it up to 26 reviews! Yay! So anyways… Thank you again for those who reviewed! You make me want to keep writing (and that is why I'm writing this instead of doing my German homework :x)

x.o.x.o.

Tinkie

Chapter 13: The Great Hall

I sat up in bed staring at the ceiling. It has been long after dark and the other students in the hospital wing had fallen asleep. I on the other hand remained awake. I couldn't get out of my mind of what had happened a few hours earlier with my father and professor Lupin. Obviously they had known each other but how? After an unknown period of time I had eventually drifted off into sleep. I tried to put my father and professor Lupin out of my mind until the morning.

"_Father, are we going?" I put on my shoes and walked out of my room and towards my father's office. "I'm ready to…" I walked into my father's office and saw him sitting at his desk filling out paperwork. "Papa!" I yelled to my father._

_He looked up at me startled. His startled expression turned to one of anger. "Do not raise your voice to me Ava. I am in no mood."_

_I sighed as I looked at him. "You promised me that you would take me to the Zoo today."_

_He grunted as he put his hand though his hair. "I have too much work. I'll take you some other time."_

_I crossed my arms. "But papa! It's my birthday! You promised me!" Before I could finish my father raised his hand to silence me. I stared at my father with hurt and anger. I sighed heavily and walked out of the room. He was not going to ruin another birthday. I turned down the hall and walked out of the house. My father never noticed._

_It had taken me 3 busses and five city blocks but I had finally made it to the London Zoo. After about an hour I had walked in front of the lemurs and sat. I looked around at all of the families. The families I wish I had. Things would have been different if my mother was still around or if I had a father who cared._

"_Psst…_" I rolled to my other side as I tossed in my sleep. "_Psst!" _I slowly opened my eyes and was met with 4 green eyes. I gasped loudly when a hand covered my mouth to stifle my on coming scream. When I fully came to I realized who it was who had awoken me from sleep.

"Bleedin' Christ! You two almost gave me a heart attack! How did you get in here?" I asked as I pulled off my blankets.

Fred and George grinned as they crossed their arms. "Do you honestly think that any place can hold out THE Fred and George Weasley?" George said proudly.

I laughed as I looked around. Eventually I found how they had gotten in. In the corner of the wing there was an open slab of stone that led through to a dark passageway. "How long have you two know about that?"

Fred decided to answer that one. "It was easy." He sat down next to me on my bed. "Found it when I was out with the mumps my second year. I wanted to get out of this hellhole and after about an hour I found that passage. Leads straight into armor gallery."

George sat on the other side of me. "Yeah he wanted to get out of here so he could snog Hillary Maldoon. He had a thing for her all second year."

I smirked at Fred as I caught him blush. "You can tell me more about that later Casanova but first I want to get out of here. I can't sleep in these beds."

George leaned back against my pillow and bounced up and down. "You're right love. These beds do suck. But that's better than what we got. We're sleeping in the Great Hall…Dumbledore's orders. Care to join? We can share a sleeping bag." He put his arm around my shoulder and batted his eyes.

I laughed lightly. "I would but your feet smell so bad I don't think I would be able to be in that close proximity to you." Fred began to laugh as George playfully punched me in the shoulder. I turned towards Fred. "Help me off of here and let's go." Fred and George got off my bed and helped me up. My foot wasn't hurting as much as it did when I had first gotten there. It was still a bit sore but Madame Pomfrey gave me some elixir that helped my foot heal quickly. However I still had to hop on occasion.

Fred, George, and I made our way down the dark corridor and into the armor gallery. Quickly and quietly we made our way down the stairs and into the great hall without being noticed. After maneuvering through the sea of students we found a place to lye down. I situated myself in between Fred and George. Almost instantly George fell asleep and was lightly snoring. I chuckled softly and looked at Fred. "How can you sleep with him?"

Fred smiled as he turned to face me. "You get used to it after a while. He could be doing worse." He nodded his head towards a couple Hufflepuff students who were fast asleep. One of them turned over to their other side and let out a quiet but prominent fart. I turned my head back towards Fred and tried my best to hold in a laugh. Unable to control myself I let out a soft snort. I immediately began to turn red and covered my face in my sweater. Fred pulled my hands away and looked at me. "Did you just snort?"

I nodded as I continued to blush. "Yeah… makes you like me even more doesn't it?"

Fred nodded. "Oh I find it very sexy. You found my weakness. Making pig noises really gets my blood pumping."

I smiled as I rolled onto my back and stretched. I felt a cold breeze float past me and I shuddered. Since I had come later I was unable to be given my own sleeping bag. Fred and George gave me their sweaters to keep me warm but as the night urged on the colder I became. Unexpectedly Fred unzipped his sleeping bag and draped it over me. I looked up at him. "What are you doing?"

He turned to his back and put his hands behind his head. "You're freezing. Besides I'm big strong man. I can handle the cold." He flexed his arm. I would have been impressed if he did have muscles to spare.

I smiled as I draped the blanket over the two of us. "There is no point in having us both freeze. Besides I know how to share. Just no funny business Mr. Weasley." I raised an eyebrow at him and he rose up his hand.

"I solemnly swear that I will not be up to no good." He winked and lowered his hand. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a few minutes I whispered to him quietly.

"Thank you."

Fred turned his head towards me and opened his eyes. "You already said that love."

I turned my body to face him. "I know I did. But I just wanted to say thank you for always looking out for me. I know I don't always make the best decisions or say the right things. You really mean a lot to me."

He turned so that his body was facing me. "You mean a lot to me too Ava. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that I called you a slag. I never meant it. I just saw Oliver just using you and it got under my skin. You need to be with someone who can really appreciate you." He ran a finger down the side of my face pulling a strand of hair away.

I liked feeling his touch. He was always gentle to me. I wanted him to be the one who could really appreciate me. "You're a great friend to me Fred."

Fred's finger paused along my jaw line. He looked down and moved his hand away. He then looked up at me and gave me a sideways smile. "That's what I'm here for love. Let's get to sleep. We've both had a long day." He turned to his back and closed his eyes.

I watched Fred as he fell asleep. I watched him breathe in and out deeply. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. I really did like Fred. But I didn't know what to do about my feelings. I didn't want to ruin our friendship and Fred has always been a great friend to me. I just don't know how he would feel about being something more.

I curled my body up against his and placed my hand on his stomach. Slowly I felt him place a hand on the small of my back and place his other hand on my. We slept like that for the rest of the night.

P.s. I wanted to bring up something. I chose to have Ava like Oliver for a reason. I'm sort of making him a suave pervert as a transition into my own liking of Fred instead of Oliver. I was obsessed with Oliver fanfics but then changed to Fred fanfics. So what better way to do so by showing in my fic? Just a bit into my mind.


	14. The Confrontation

**Chapter 14:** The Confrontation

Anthony Johnson walked into Albus Dumbledore's office. As the door shut behind them Anthony Johnson started to yell. "What is that thing doing teaching my daughter? Doesn't this school have a policy about things like that teaching at Hogwarts?"

Albus Dumbledore calmly walked to his desk and sat. He grabbed an Acid Pop that was sitting in a bowl in front of him and offered the candy to Anthony. "Care for one?"

This seemed to make Anthony angrier. "Did I mention that this incident can create problems and it would be my duty to alert the Ministry on this matter?"

"As a matter of fact you did Mr. Johnson. As for having Professor Lupin on our staff has been brought up with the ministry. I assure you that there will be no cause to worry."

Anthony walked up to Albus' desk and placed his hands firmly on the table. "I think I have a right to worry if my daughter was being taught by a no good dirty werewolf headmaster. As her father I…"

"Her father? I highly think that statement is inaccurate." Anthony turned towards the door to look at the man who said that statement. During their conversation Remus had quietly crept into Albus' office and was a silent listener to Anthony's rantings. Anthony's eyes met with Remus' and raged filled him. "Wouldn't you say so Anthony?" Remus leaned against the door and crossed his hands over his chest.

"How dare you speak to me like that Remus? You do remember that I am the reason why you are not extradited out of London?"

Remus smirked as he continued to stare at Anthony. "If I recall it was Vanessa who kept me around."

Anthony's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't you dare speak her name. You are filth and I will not have you speak of her in that manner."

"It kills you to know that she still loved me."

"What you're forgetting Remus is that she chose me." Anthony took a step forward towards Remus. "Not you."

Remus stood straight up and took a step towards Anthony with fire in his eyes. Before either man could do anything Albus Dumbledore stood between them. "Thank you Remus for stopping by but I need to continue to discuss matters with Anthony. Please come by my office in the morning."

Remus took in a deep breath and looked down at the floor. He then looked up at Albus. "I'll see you in the morning then." Remus looked at Anthony and then turned towards the door. Before he could walk out Anthony spoke.

"Stay away from my daughter Lupin." Remus turned and looked at Anthony. "Stay away if you want to keep your job here."

Remus glared at Anthony. "What makes you so sure she is yours Johnson?" He turned to fully face him. Anthony had a puzzled look on his face. "Oh… she never told you did she?"

Immediately Anthony shot towards Remus and grabbed him by the collar and pressed him against the door. The two men stared at each other as Albus yelled. "That's enough!" He walked between them and pushed them away from each other. "Remus leave! I will see you in the morning."

Remus brushed himself off and glared at Anthony before storming out of the office and slamming the door. Anthony turned towards Dumbledore in anger. "What did he mean Albus?"

Albus started to turn away when Anthony pulled out his wand and raised it towards Albus. Albus paused and looked at Anthony calmly. "You do not know what you're doing Anthony."

"I do know what I am doing professor. I can get you displaced before you can even say magic. Now answer my question Albus. What did he mean?"

Albus sighed and sat down. "That is a question I cannot answer. You need to gather that from Remus."

* * *

_Remus sat awake in the bed of the Starlight Motel. He listened to the sounds outside. He heard cars fly down the freeway and horns blasting periodically. Sporadically he heard a plane take off at the nearby airport. He looked at the sleeping body next to him. Vanessa had a peaceful look. He wanted to caress her face. He sat and watched her sleep for the past half hour. She was his muse, his goddess. He wished that he could take her away and start a life with her. He knew it wasn't possible. The night started like any other night they saw each other. They went and had dinner and a few drinks later they had ended up at the motel. As she tossed in her sleep she curled up beside him and rested her hand against his chest. When he looked at her hand he saw the glimmer of gold on her ring finger and he was filled with disdain. In a week she was going to be someone else's. No longer would she be his muse, his goddess._

_His thoughts stopped when she let out a deep breath. "I don't like it when you stare at me Remus." Vanessa opened an eye and looked up at him. "It's creepy."_

_Remus smiled and gave her a light kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry love." He closed his eyes and put his arms around her. He listened to her breath carefully. He tried to take as much of her in as possible. As Remus began to drift off into sleep he whispered to her quietly. "I love you Vanessa."_

_Vanessa squeezed onto Remus tightly and smiled softly. "I love you Remus."_

Suddenly Remus awoke and felt a familiar presence in his room. He shot up in his bed and was immediately met with a pair of silver eyes. Before he could say anything the person spoke. "Remus… I need your help…"

* * *

I know many of you were waiting for some kind of confrontation between Remus and Anthony so there it was! Review: ) 


	15. It’s all in the cards

**Chapter 15** – It's all in the cards

It has been a little less than a week since the incident with Gryffindor tower. Everything was pretty much back to normal except for a few whispers here and there about Harry Potter and the appearance of Sirius Black in the castle. My father had cancelled all of my future lessons with Professor Lupin. I was still unable to figure out what was going on between them. This morning I tried to see if I could speak with Professor Lupin before class but he was unavailable. When I came into class Professor Snape was filling in. It was very odd that Professor Lupin did not show up for class. I hoped everything was all right with him.

Ever since that night in the Great Hall Fred and I haven't seen much of each other. When we woke up in the morning there was an awkward presence in the air. This past week I have been focusing on my studies while Fred and George were off being their typical selves.

My father stayed at Hogwarts until Wednesday morning. Before he left however he had acted very weird. He was very short with me and reiterated the fact that I would be staying at Hogwarts during Christmas. He said that he would be in contact with me soon if something new should arrive.

As I walked into Divination class I put all my thoughts aside. Divination was one of my favorite classes and it had always put my mind off of things. I took my seat in the class and waited for Professor Trelawney to enter the room. The rest of the students in the class were scattered around the room talking to each other about Sirius Black.

"I bet he is still in Hogwarts waiting to attack again," said a Ravenclaw in the back of the class.

"I wonder who helped him in and whom he is staying with," said another Ravenclaw.

"Sit, my children, sit," said professor Trelawney as the students climbed into armchairs or sank onto pouffes. "Today class we will be going over cartomancy." She raised out her hands towards the class. "Please students grab the cards under the table and we will begin!"

Tarot card reading was something isn't something I am well taught in but it was nice to get practice. I grabbed my deck of cards and shuffled them. I then cut them into three piles and then laid out my cards in the traditional Celtic cross spread. I then began to read what everything meant.

_**Card 1—**The present. I drew the "Death Card". This card means that there is an ending of a cycle of events and the arrival of new opportunities and life-styles._

That was true. This year my life has changed. I was no longer the quiet girl in the corner. I was beginning to set myself out from the crowd and be noticed.

_**Card 2—**The immediate challenge facing me. I drew the "Hierophant" in the reversed position. When read in the reverse it means that information is being kept from me and what I hear is distorted._

Also true. I have no idea what is going on between my father and Professor Lupin. When I ask questions I get shifty answers.

_**Card 3—**The distant past, foundation. This card should indicate the root of the subject matter of the question. I drew the Empress. She means that I had domestic comfort, security, and protection in my life and is drawn around motherhood._

I miss my mother. When she was around I had comfort and love.

_**Card 4—**More recent past, including events. I drew the "Hermit". This card means enforced isolation, or lack of support._

Now that I'm with my father I have felt complete isolation.

_**Card 5—**The best that can be achieved. This is directly related to the question. I drew the "Wheel of Fortune". The wheel of fortune heralds a major change in my overall circumstances. I have a fortuitous destiny about me._

Interesting... very interesting.

_**Card 6—**The immediate Future. This indicates events in the next few days or week(s). I drew the "Two of Cups" which predicts that love and friendships at this time will be rewarding._

Maybe something will happen between Fred and I._  
_

_**Card 7**—Factors or inner feelings affecting the situation. I dealt the "Moon". I must look to my intuition for a solution and I must discover my inner longings and needs rather than accept surface values._

Trust my intuition. I get it. And the cards are right... I have no idea what I want._  
_

_**Card 8—**External influences which can be people, energies or events that will affect the outcome of the question and are beyond my control. I drew the "Knight of Wands" in the reversed position. When reversed this means that someone who I thought was sincere is simply playing a part in order to further their own aims._

Who can't I trust?_  
_

_**Card 9**—Hopes or fears around the situation. I drew the "Ten of Swords" in the reversed position. Reversed this cards means that I will thrive on false hope for a time to avoid the truth in order to protect myself from further disappointment._

Maybe I wont like the truth I've been wanting to hear. Maybe it's something terrible between my father and Professor Lupin._  
_

_**Card 10—**The final outcome. I had dealt the "Fool", the "Ace of Cups", the "Princess of Cups", and the "Tower". The "Fool" suggests that I will go through a new journey and the beginning of a new life cycle. The "Ace of Cup" suggests that a new relationship is promised with better things ahead. The "Princess of Cups" brings new love. The "Tower" however is a harbinger of bad luck. Although I will receive happiness it will all fall and everything in my life that I hold dear will collapse._

I will be happy but I will lose everything I hold dear?... That is not good. I wish I was a seer._  
_

* * *

I left divination in confusion and was left to think about what the cards had meant. As I made my way down the stairs I felt someone grab me by the arm and pull me towards them. I look up and see Fred standing in front of me. His hair was damp and he had the light smell of soap. "Fresh from Quidditch practice?" I asked.

He smiled. "Yeah. It was brutal. Well… not for me anyhow." Fred laughed. "Wood got his arse handed to him by Angelina. She threw a quaffle at him and it knocked him off his broom. He is going to be in the hospital wing for a few hours. I wouldn't say he didn't deserve it!"

I smiled as I leaned against the wall. I was happy to know that Wood was getting what he deserved. "That's my Angie. So did you need something or did you just pull me aside to tell me about the downfall of that prat?"

He leaned against the rail and put his hands in his pockets. "Well I haven't seen you in a few days. I wanted to see if we could talk for a bit."

I sighed to myself. I didn't know what would come out of talking with Fred but I decided to give him what he wanted. We made our way to one of the rooftops of Hogwarts. We sat down next to each other and stared out at the stars for a few minutes before I decided to break the silence. "So… what did you want to talk about?"

He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. "How do you feel about me Ava?"

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean Fred?"

He turned his head towards me. "I really like you Ava. I want to know how you feel towards me. All you give me is mixed signals and I never know how to interpret them. That night in the common room I thought you had interest in me. But then you go out with Wood. Then you tell me that you like being my 'friend' but then cuddle up next to me in the great hall. I want to know what is in your mind Ava. I'm just so confused."

I blushed in embarrassment. I know that I have been giving him mixed signals. "To be honest Fred I don't know what I want. I'm constantly fighting with what I want. I really do like you. I feel really comfortable around you. You gave me comfort that I haven't felt in a while. But my mind keeps reminding me that you are my friend and Fred I would never want to lose you."

He turns his body towards me. "But you wont lose me Ava. As long as you give me the chance I will never leave you or hurt you. Please just give me the chance."

I lowered my head and thought. I didn't know what to do. My heart tells me to listen to him but my mind tells me that it is immature to think we will last forever. According to the cards I am going to find a new love soon. Maybe Fred is it. But if he is someone I hold dear I will lose him. As I was thinking Fred took my hand in his and kissed it softly. I looked into his eyes and my heart melted. He was giving his heart to me. I sighed and looked into his eyes. I decided to follow my intuition. "Let's take it one step at a time."

He smiled and drew me close and embraced me. "Thank you."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Yeah I'm obsessed with Tarot Cards so I took the time in making sure it came out right with my plot. If you want to know what each card means in relation to the story feel free to message me! Oh and there was SOME fluff :)

x.o.x.o.  
Tinkie


	16. A Howl in the Night

**Chapter 16** – A Howl in the night

Just like I had wanted, Fred and I were taking things slow. We knew that we both wanted a relationship, but we weren't diving right in. Things didn't change between Fred, George, and I. We still hung out just as much as we used to. It was Sunday and professor Lupin still hasn't returned back to teaching his classes or being in his office. I was a bit worried about what had happened to him. I hoped my father hadn't gotten him fired. Knowing my father that is what happened. I had told Fred and George what had happened between professor Lupin and my father and they had their own opinions about what was going on between the two of them.

"Maybe they went to school together and Lupin hexed your dad one too many times," said Fred as we were sitting in their secret room inside Hogwarts. A while ago Fred and George had found an abandoned room within Hogwarts and it was there that they did all their experiments. I was one of the few people that they had invited to come inside their lair. I was able to see all of their experiments first hand.

I sat on a table and was playing with the Anisphere that Fred had given me earlier in the year. "I don't think so. My father told me he was brilliant in school. He said that he was refined and well respected."

George scoffed. "Yep. He was hexed alright!"

I smiled and then looked at Fred. He had his head buried in one of his new creations, Ton-Tongue Toffees. "What do you think Fred?"

He didn't look up from his project. "Probably fought over some girl. That's a sure-fire way to be bloody pissed at somebody."

I raised an eyebrow. "A woman? I don't know Fred."

George interjected. "I don't know Ava. He does have a point. Some guys go crazy when they like a girl. Sometimes they will throw people into the lake using a tornado charm." He looked over at Fred and saw him smirk.

"Exactly!" He picked up one of the toffees and raised it in the air. "I think I've done it! George come over here and try this!"

I sat and watched as George walked over to the table and tried the toffee Fred had made. Fred and I looked at the both of them in anticipation as I watched George put the toffee in his mouth. He swallowed and then looked at his twin. "Don't feel any different…"

Fred stood. "Stick out your tongue." George did as his brother said and sadly nothing had changed. Fred sighed. "Back to the drawing board…" Fred sat back down and pulled out a piece of paper and began changing the ingredients.

George looked up at me. "I got to go see Lee. I'll see you two around." George began to walk out when he turned towards Fred. "Add more chocolate. It tasted bloody nasty." George turned and walked out of the room and left Fred and I alone.

Fred watched his brother leave and then turned his head towards me. "Finally!" He stood and walked towards me and put his arms around me.

I smiled and looked into his eyes. "Now that you have me here Mr. Weasley, what do you want to do?"

He grinned wickedly and whispered into my ears. "I have an idea." He stood back and took my hands in his and helped me off the table I was sitting on. "Follow me." He led me out of their secret room and began to walk down the hall.

I was a bit nervous about what Fred had wanted to do. Although being nervous I put my complete trust in him. Fred has always had my best interest in mind and I knew that there wouldn't be a recreation of the Oliver Wood fiasco. We made out way out of the castle and towards some cliffs by the lake. When we reached the top of the hill he sat down and pulled me down to sit next to him. I sat down and looked ahead. He had taken me to the top of the cliff that faced the lake. It was nearing sunset and the sky was beginning to sparkle with stars. I smiled and inched closer to Fred. He put his arm around me and we just sat and talked. "This is a really beautiful view Fred."

He put his arm around me and looked out. "I like to come here when I want to think and be alone—Although it can be hard sometimes. This area is often filled with couple snogging."

I laughed and looked at him. "Ah I see why you wanted to bring me up here. You wanted to get in a snogfest."

He frowned and pretended to look offended. "I would never! I wanted to share this place with you!" He looked towards the lake and had a sideways smile that he tried to hide. "Besides…if a snogfest did happen I wouldn't be one to deny it." I punched Fred playfully in the arm. He rolled on the ground and pretended to be in pain. "Merlin's beard! I think you've broken my arm! Quick take me to the hospital wing!"

"Too late now! I can't keep you around to ruin my reputation. I must dispose of you Mr. Weasley!" I laughed and rolled on top of him and started to tickle him.

He began to laugh uncontrollable and after a valiant effort he was able to push me off of him and climb on top of me, pinning my arms down. We were both laughing. Soon we both quieted down and looked at each other. Slowly Fred leaned down and kissed me lightly on my lips.

My body warmed when his lips lightly kissed mine. My body melted and I felt like I was floating. As Fred slightly pulled away I raised my head to meet his lips again for another kiss. He sighed happily into the kiss and pressed his body up against mine. I began to feel Fred's tongue press against my lips, and willingly I parted my lips and let his tongue explore mine playfully. I heard Fred moan lightly as I ran my fingers down the back of his neck pulling his closer to me. I felt his hips press into mine and I felt his arousal press against me. Overcome with arousal I jerked my body slightly and he pulled away and looked down at me. "I'm sorry…too fast?"

I nodded and sat up. Fred sat back and lowered his head slightly and had a hint of disappointment on his face. I took his hand in mine and he looked up at me. "I did like the snogfest though," I said as I saw him smile.

"I did too. Hey how about we…"

Suddenly he was interrupted by the distinct noise of howling. We both looked around, startled by what we had heard. As I was about to speak I heard the howls coming again. I froze when I heard a branch break. "Is it coming towards us?"

Fred stood and grabbed my hand and pulled me up hard. "I don't want to be here to find out! Let's go!" He took off running with my in tow.

"Fred slow down! I can't breathe!" he continued to run as I heaved desperately for air. Suddenly I tripped over a tree root and fell towards the ground. Fred ran a few steps before he realized that I had fallen. My head shot up when I heard moans coming from the distance. I looked up and looked to my left and I saw a body trembling in the distance. When Fred came by me to help me up I pointed at the person lying on the ground. "I think they're hurt. Let's go see."

I began to walk towards the body when Fred stood in front of me. "Let me go first." He slowly walked towards the body with myself right behind him. We heard the body let out a deep moan. The man lying face down was wearing a pair of ripped pants and nothing else. When we got closer I gasped.

"Professor Lupin!" I ran towards him and knelt beside him. "Fred shoot emergency flares! Quickly! He's hurt really bad!"

Fred ran and shot emergency Flares up through the trees while I tried to turn Professor Lupin onto his back. "Professor! Can you hear me?" I shook him a few times trying to get him to wake up.

He groaned and opened his eyes slightly. I saw a smile go across his face. His put his hand up to the side of my face and whispered "…Vanessa?" Before I could answer his head fell back and his eyes closed.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Sorry it took a while to pump out. I just started the gym and I've been so exhausted! Blah! Oh well hope you enjoyed. Read and Review! Reviews make me all giddy.

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie

p.s…Heyyodude – Here is some fluff for you:) I still had to add my angst though ;)


	17. Truth Becomes Her

**Chapter 17** – Truth Becomes Her

Eventually after Fred shot emergency flares in the air, various professors made their way into the clearing. Dumbledore ran towards Professor Lupin, as Professor McGonagall and Hagrid followed.

Dumbledore knelt down next to Lupin and put his head by Professor Lupin's mouth to check if he was breathing. Dumbledore looked up at me. "How long has he been here?"

Fred shrugged. "We don't know. He was lying there when we got to him."

Dumbledore turned towards Hagrid and stood. "Hagrid, carry Remus to the Hospital wing immediately."

Hagrid walked over to Professor Lupin and picked him up and walked towards the castle. I stood next to Fred and shuddered lightly. I watched as Dumbledore walked towards Professor McGonagall and mumble something to her. Fred put his arm around my shoulder and rubbed my arm gently. Dumbledore then looked at Fred and I. "You two head back to the castle."

I sat outside the hospital wing. Beside me Fred sat with his back against the wall and George sat beside him. He had joined Fred and I upon our return to the castle. That is where we sat for the last couple of hours waiting for news on Professor Lupin. Fred yawned and put his head on my shoulder. "I'm hungry."

"I think dinner has just started," yawned George and he stretched. "How long we gonna sit out here for?"

The hospital door opened and Madame Pomfrey walked out of the hospital wing and down the hall. I sighed and rested my head against the wall. "You two can go get dinner. I'm not that hungry."

Fred looked at me. "Are you sure? We can stay if you want."

I shook my head. "Nah it's ok. Go get dinner. I'm going to head up to my room in a bit anyways."

George stood. "Come on Gred. I hear a drumstick calling my name."

Fred kissed my cheek softly and stood. "Right behind ya Forge. Don't stay out here too long." And with that the both of them disappeared down the hall.

I looked down the hall and saw that no one was around. I stood and quickly snuck into the hospital wing. The wing was empty except for Professor Lupin sound asleep in one of the beds. I walked over to the foot of his bed and watched him sleep soundly. His face was completely scratched up. His shirt was off and he had a bandage wrapped around him. _How could you have gotten this way?_ I asked in my head.

Suddenly I heard footsteps outside the door. Out of panic I ran behind a privacy screen in the corner of the room. I heard someone walk into the room. I heard someone groan lightly. "Albus?"

"Remus. How are you feeling?"

_Oh crap it was Dumbledore. No one is supposed to be in here! I'm going to be caught for sure!_

"I'm feeling alright Albus. How did I get here?"

"Ava and Fred Weasley found you in the forest."

"Did anyone see me transform?"

_Transform? Was I hearing things correctly? _That phrase was enough to completely draw my attention. I inched closer to the screen so I could hear what they were talking about.

"I highly doubt it. I do not think anyone saw you."

"I have been missing since the full moon Albus. I bet students are beginning to wonder."

"Children often do."

"Maybe Anthony was right. Maybe I shouldn't be teaching here. It's already hard enough being so close to Ava. I don't want her to be in any danger."

"She won't be Remus."

"It was because of me that I lost Vanessa. I don't want to lose our daughter as well."

I gasped and fell forwards against the partition. I heard footsteps coming in my direction. Before they could stop me and made a mad dash towards the doors and ran out down the hallway. I heard voices calling after me but I kept running. Professor Lupin is… my father?


	18. Much Needed Comfort

((Warning: Strong Sexual Content!))

**Chapter 18** – Much Needed Comfort

I ran down the hall in utter confusion. My world had completely changed and turned upside down. Now I had known what was going on between professor Lupin and my father. No wonder they hated each other. No wonder my father hated me. Every time he looked at me, all he could see was another man. No wonder my father could never truly love me. My mind could not stop racing. I needed to go where no one could find me.

* * *

Fred sat in the great hall with next to his brother. Fred turned towards the door. "Do you think Ava is still in front of the hospital wing?"

George stuffed another biscuit in his mouth and shrugged. "Probably up to her room by now." George grabbed a drumstick and took a gigantic bite out of it. He looked at his brother who had barely eaten anything. "My twin sense is telling me that you want to go check."

Fred looked at his brother. "I just want to see if she is ok."

George sighed and put the drumstick down on his plate. He grabbed his napkin and filled it with 2 biscuits, a drumstick, and a chocolate crème puff and put it in his pocket. The twins got up from the table and walked out of the great hall. The twins made their way to the hospital wing. The doors were wide open. They looked inside and saw one of the privacy screens on the floor while professor Lupin sat up wide awake. As they walked by Lupin yelled to them. "Fred! George! Have you seen Ava?"

The twins looked at each other and then looked to Lupin and shook their head. George spoke. "No professor. I haven't seen he since we left for dinner. You saw her?"

Lupin reached for a cup next to him and winced. "She found her way in here. She left unexpectedly though. I wanted to talk to her but didn't get the chance. When you find her can you tell her I need to speak with her?"

George nodded. Fred took a small step forward. "Why did she leave?"

Before Lupin could say anything Madam Pomfrey walked in with a tray in her hands. "What are you boys doing in here?"

Lupin pulled his blankets back and put his hand on his side. "They were walking by and I asked them in Poppy. We were only chatting."

She walked over beside Lupin and set down the tray on the nightstand. "You boys should go back to your dormitories. I would like to get him out of here in a bit and I can't do that with you two getting him excited."

Fred and George nodded to Madam Pomfrey and walked out. They turned down the hall and looked at each other in confusion. "That was interesting. I wonder what made Ava run out like that," said George.

Fred crossed his arms. "I have no idea. Only Ava would know."

Suddenly they heard Lee running down the hall and towards the twins. "Fred! George! You won't believe it! In the dining hall Professor Flitwick was trying to levitate one of the plates in the dining room and then all of a sudden the wand started to chase him around the hall! It was bloody brilliant!"

Fred turned to George. "How did he get one of our wands?"

George and Lee smiled. "When I left you and Ava in the room I met Lee. We switched Flitwick's wand with our fake one after Charms. Wow Lee I can't believe it worked in the middle of the great hall!"

Lee smiled. "Yeah and now everyone wants one of your wands!"

Fred was in complete shock. George never usually left Fred out of his pranks. "Why didn't you tell me that was what you were doing?"

George smirked. "You and Ava looked like you needed some time alone. Sorry Gred."

"It's ok Forge. I just wish I could have seen it! Maybe our business will start sooner than expected!"

Fred, George, and Lee began to walk towards the dormitory. As they walked down the hall they saw Wood in the distance. He had a Gryffindor fifth year pinned up against the wall as he whispered in her ear. Fred and George rolled their eyes. "Some things never change," said George as they walked past them. As they made it to the portrait Fred stopped. "I forgot our experiment in our office! I'll be up there in a sec! If you see Ava tell her I'll see her when I come back." George and Lee nodded as they walked into the common room.

Fred walked down the hall and through a corridor and eventually made his way to their secret office. When he went to open the door he saw that the door was slightly ajar. _How did someone find this place?_ He slowly pushed the door open and looked down the small stairwell into their office. He had his wand in hand and prepared to hex the person who snuck in. When he walked in he was not prepared for what he just saw.

* * *

I ran to Fred and George's secret room because I knew no one knew where that was. Neither Dumbledore nor Lupin would be able to find me. When I walked into the room I sat down in the corner facing the stairwell. My breath was heavy because I was running for a while. I inhaled deeply to slow down my breathing. When I let out my breath I could not hold in my tears. They began to flow down my cheeks and I was sobbing hysterically. I don't know how long I was in that room. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder causing me to gasp and look up. I look into Fred's eyes with tears flowing down my face. He immediately took me into his arms and slowly began to rock back and forth. He didn't say anything to me. He just let me cry into his shoulder. After a few minutes my crying subdued. Fred never stopped rocking me.

I wiped my eyes and wiped my nose with my sleeve. I rested my head on Fred's shoulder and closed my eyes. "He's my father…"

Fred stopped rocking but continued to hold me close. "Who is?"

"Lupin…Lupin is my father." I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall.

Fred pulled back and looked at me. "How? How did you find out?"

I sighed. "After you two left I snuck into the hospital wing. Dumbledore came in and I hid behind a screen. They were talking for a while and then I heard Lupin say that he was my father. I ran out as quickly as I could. I couldn't face him Fred."

I heard Fred sigh. I felt a tear fall down my cheek. "That's why my father and Lupin hated each other…that's why my father never loved me."

Fred shook his head. "Your father loved you Ava."

I shook my head. "He didn't. He never told me. He always fought with me. I never felt wanted. I thought he hated me because of what happened to my mother. Now I know it was because I am proof that my mother loved someone else. I bet Lupin never wanted me either."

Fred moved closer to me. "You don't know what you're saying Ava…"

"Why does no one want me Fred? My father never wanted me. Lupin didn't want me either otherwise I would have been with him. I feel so alone." I curled my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs.

Fred put his hand on my cheek. "You are not alone. I want you. I've always wanted you."

I looked into his eyes and saw a deep truth. I suddenly leaned towards him and pressed my lips against his. He put his arms around me and I deepened the kiss. I heard Fred moan slightly into my mouth. I turned and leaned back against the ground, pulling Fred on top of me. He pressed his entire body onto mine and I felt his need press into lower abdomen. I ran my fingers through his hair and lightly tugged playfully. He pulled away from my lips and kissed my cheek and then began to suckle onto my neck. I tugged at the hem of Fred's shirt and he pulled away from my neck. "What are you doing?"

I moaned lightly. "I want you Fred."

He looked down at me. "Are you sure? I don't want to push you…I want you to be completely sure…"

I didn't say anything to him. I pulled his lips to mine and kissed him deeply. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it across the room. Soon we were both naked and lying on the floor. His hands explored my body slowly. My body shuddered with every touch. He leaned down and placed his lips around my nipple. The warm of his mouth caused my body to fill with goose bumps. As my body arched against him I felt his hand feather my warmth. His fingers delved into my wetness and I could feel him feeling me from the inside.

As he pumped his fingers in and out of my body began to shiver in ecstacy. Before I could dive over the edge Fred pulled his fingers out of me and he put his full body on top of me. My body ached to feel Fred deep within me. He looked into my eyes just before he was about to enter me. He looked deeply within my eyes for permission to go further. I raised my hips and let Fred enter me. I gasped loudly, partly in pain and partly in pleasure. He pulled out quickly and looked at me in concern. I kissed him softly and urged him back inside me. "I want you Fred…"

My body ached for Fred. I knew he wanted me. I wanted to feel him deep inside me. I wanted to forget ever thing around me and just get lost within Fred. Fred kissed my cheek and whispered into my ear. "I love you Ava…" My body became overcome with emotion as he pushed back into me. My body went numb as I went over the edge. I closed my eyes and let myself get lost in my pleasure.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
Sorry!!!!!!!! Sorry It took me forever and a day to post a new chapter!!!!! I was watching the family channel and I kept seeing Harry Potter commercials and I took it as a hint that I needed to update this story. Well there it is! I updated as soon as I could Mrs. Gallagher and I hope you enjoyed the "interaction" heyyodude! Haha REVIEW!!! Reviews make the heart grow fonder. Another good thing about reviews is that if you give me suggestions MAYBE I'll put them in the story! Anyways... REVIEW!!!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	19. My Father

**Chapter 19** – My Father

I had awoken in Fred and George's secret office. Sometime during the night Fred had found a blanket to lie on top of us. I yawned and stretched as I sat up. I looked to my left and Fred was fast asleep. I smiled as I looked at his sleeping naked body. I remembered how I felt falling asleep in his arms and I reveled in waking up beside him. I looked down at my wristwatch and gasped at the time. I poked Fred.

"Fred! Get up! Classes are almost about to start!"

Fred groaned as he turned away from me and pulled the blanket up over his head. I pulled off the blanket and he mumbled. "Can't a man get some bloody sleep?"

I pinched Fred on his bottom and he yelped and turned on his back. I got up and began to quickly dress. "You can but I'm not going to miss any classes. Unlike you I care about having a quality education."

Fred smiled as he watched me dress. "Well at least someone is getting a valuable education here at Hogwarts. I should just leave the school. Education has never been my forte."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Leave school? Bah you would never do that. You love this place too much." I glanced at my watch. "Blast! Herbology starts in 2 minutes! I'm never going to make it to the greenhouse in time!"

Fred stood and wrapped his arms around me. I blushed slightly at seeing his naked body standing in front of me. "Good enough reason to miss class if I do say so myself!" He leaned forward and whispered into my ear. "Besides… wouldn't you rather stay with me and get in some needed snog time?"

I chuckled. "Sounds very tempting." I ran my finger down his bare chest. "I would be very easy to ravage you given your state of dress. I could have you in the room in at least 20 ways."

He sat on the table behind him and raised his hands in defeat. "I'm all yours baby… Do what you will. I'm at your mercy!"

I laughed and gave him a kiss. "Maybe during Dark Arts."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're not going?"

I shook my head. "I'm not ready to face him yet. I know if I go to class he'll find some way to take me aside and talk to me."

He put his arms around my waist and sighed. "You know you're going to have to face your problems sooner or later Ava."

"I know… that's why I'm choosing later." I kissed him again and pulled away. "Okay now I really need to get to Herbology."

As I turned to walk out suddenly the door opened and George came running down the stairs. Fred gasped and quickly hid behind me. However, Fred was not quick enough. George apparently saw Fred's naked body run behind me because he immediately gasped and turned around facing the door.

"Merlin's Beard Fred! Ava? Wow…sorry! Wow…umm…I was looking for Fred because he didn't come to the dormitory last night and…wow…sorry…I didn't think I'd see you…yeah…umm…I'm going to go back outside…See you two later!" George immediately ran up the stairs and ran out the door without looking back.

I turned around to see Fred completely red. I laughed. "Well I guess we can't hide anything from him then."

Fred quickly ran around the room looking for his clothes. "Fuck me this is so bloody embarrassing!"

I smiled. "I find it really funny actually. I'm just glad it wasn't me!" I leaned forward and picked up Fred's pants and threw it to him as he was frantically putting on his shirt. "Just feel lucky it was only George who saw you."

"True…" He put on his pants and then straightened his tie. "But it's still bloody embarrassing!"

* * *

I was only 10 minutes late to Herbology. I told Professor Sprout that I had overslept my alarm clock. Luckily she believed me and ushered me by the plants. "Now class. I want to remind you that bubotuber pus reacts very oddly with Human skin. Be careful because when the pus is not diluted properly it can create nasty boils on your skin!"

I quickly found my place in between Leia and Lindsay. When Professor Sprout went to another student to help them dilute the bubotuber pus Lindsay turned to me. "So where were you last night?"

Before I could say anything Leia interjected. "Isn't it obvious? She was with Fred Weasley last night."

Before I could reply to what Leia had said Lindsay interjected. "Really? How do you know?"

"Look at her. She's wearing the same clothes she did yesterday. And she has that goofy look on her face." Said Leia as she pulled out a bubotuber from the soil.

"Goofy look…?" Lindsay inspected at me in confusion and then gasped. "You slept with him!" She yelped loudly.

I looked around and saw a few students looking in our direction in confusion. I saw a couple girls start to whisper. I pulled Lindsay by her tie so she was close to my face. "Could you be any louder Lindsay?"

She bit her lip and whispered. "Sorry! I'm just surprised is all. I didn't think you had it in you! How was it? Was it romantic? Tell me everything!"

I shook my head. "A lady never kiss and tells."

"Yeah but you did more than kiss." Leia squeezed pus out from the bubotuber and gasped at the smell. "God these buggers stink. Did I ever mention I hated herbology…?"

I nodded and covered my nose. "They do smell pretty ghastly."

"Alright students! That concludes class for the day. Remember what you've learned and we will continue this next class."

The class started to migrate out of the greenhouse. I helped Lindsay clean up as Leia rinsed her hands in the sink behind us. "Did you do your DADA homework?"

I shook my head. "It slipped my mind." I brushed my hands off on my skirt and looked at Leia. "Hey I don't think I'm going to go to class today. Think you can take notes for me?"

Leia raised an eyebrow. "How come? You and Fred having a quickie?" She ran her fingers through her long hair as she turned off the water. The three of us turned and walked out of the greenhouse.

"No…I just don't think I'm going to go that's all." I didn't want to tell Lindsay and Leia what happened yesterday.

"Why not?" Gasped Lindsay. "Defense Against the Dark Arts is extremely important! Especially now with Sirius Black escaped and in Hogwarts and all." The three of us walked down the hall towards Transfiguration.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Sirius Black is not a threat Lindsay. And even if he was I doubt the garbage we learn in that class is valuable in protecting ourselves."

"Well then maybe I should change my curriculum," said a familiar voice behind us. I winced recognizing exactly who it was. The three of us turned and were met with a worn looking Professor Lupin. I groaned slightly within. "Good morning Leia, Lindsay…Ava."

"Good morning Professor." The three of us chimed in unison.

Professor Lupin cleared his throat. "Ava…can I speak with you for a few minutes?"

Lindsay and Leia looked at me and then looked inside the class. The class was about read to start. I bit my lip. "I don't know professor. I don't want to be late for Transfiguration."

"I'll let Minerva know that you were speaking with me. It will only be for a few moments and then you can be on your way." He looked very eager to speak with me.

I sighed and turned to Lindsay and Leia. "I'll see you two in a few." They nodded and walked into class, whispering to each other about why Professor Lupin needed to speak with me. I looked up and Professor Lupin.

He cleared his throat. "Follow me."

The two of us walked down the hall in silence. I wasn't ready to speak with Lupin and he seemed like he was gathering the courage to speak with me. Eventually we walked into his office and he shut the door behind us. I walked up to the window and looked out at the lake. After a few moments I decided to finally break the silence. "What did you need to speak with me about professor?"

"I know you know what I wanted to speak with you about. When you ran out of the hospital wing you never gave me a chance to speak with you."

I turned and faced him. "Speak about what? I heard enough from you and Professor Dumbledore. I didn't need to hear anything more. You're my father."

"I wanted to apologize to you." He sat down on a chair that was by his desk. "I wanted to apologize that you didn't know sooner. Your father…Anthony didn't want you to know about me."

I raised my hand. "I really don't need an explanation professor. I really don't."

He shook his head. "Yes you do Ava. I loved your mother." He sighed and continued to spea. "When she told me that she was pregnant I thought that the three of us would have a future together. She however thought differently. She wanted you to have a better life…and she thought you would be better with Anthony as your father."

I turned to look out the window again and sighed. I mumbled. "Yeah…some life…"

Professor Lupin continued. "I just want you to know that I've always loved you Ava."

I chuckled. "Loved me?" I turned to face him. "The first time I had ever met you was the first day of this semester! I had never even heard your name mentioned before the sorting ceremony! If you did 'love me' as you say you did professor then you would have been there!" I hadn't realized that I was yelling at Lupin.

He sighed and stood. He walked towards his desk and rummaged through a drawer before he pulled out a small black book. He handed it to me. I opened the book and I sat down. My eyes began to water. Inside the book were about 50 candid pictures of my mother and I. One was when I was a baby. My mother was sitting with me on a bench feeding me with a bottle. There was another picture of me swinging at the park by my house. One picture I recognized. I was sitting on my mother's lap pointing at the sky. In the sky there were fireworks. I looked up at Remus and I felt a tear fall down my face. "That was you that day? You made the fireworks? And that was your wolf patronus?"

He nodded and sat back down. "That was me. Your mother always took you to that park so I could see you. It was one place where I could be near you. I couldn't speak with you because your mother was afraid of what Anthony might have done."

I looked back down at the book and flipped through the pictures slowly. "The night my mother died…you were the one who came by the house weren't you…?"

He nodded again. "I needed to see you. I was tired of sneaking around. I knew you were my daughter and I couldn't stand it that you were being raised by another man." He stood and knelt in front of me. "I know you may never see me as your father Ava. But I just wanted you to know the truth."

I stared at the picture of my mother and I. I felt a sting of extreme sadness fill me. I wish my mother was still alive. Before I could say anything to professor Lupin we heard a scratch at the back door to his office. The door creaked open and a black dog walked into the room. The dog stopped and stared at me. "Is that your dog professor?"

Professor Lupin looked towards the dog and a sense of panic went through him. He stood and helped me stand. "It is actually. Been in the family for years. I think it's time that you went to class." He ushered me towards the door and I stared at him in confusion. He looked down at me. "I've told you how I felt. I just want you to know that I am always here. If you want me as your father I am here. Otherwise I'll continue to be your teacher. I don't want to cause you any more pain that what you've already had to deal with."

I could see that there was hurt in his eyes when he told me that. However I still wasn't sure what to think about Professor Lupin being my father. I just wanted to talk to my dad before I made any more decisions. "Good day professor." I walked out of his office and headed towards Transfiguration.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
See! I listen to reviews! I updated quickly!!! Well... I was trying to find a way to avoid my homework... this was the easiest way to do so! Hope you enjoyed :)

x.o.x.o.  
Tinkie


	20. Family

**Chapter 20** - My Family

I walked out of professor Lupin's office. I looked down into my hands and saw that I was still holding onto the black photo album that professor Lupin showed to me. I looked around the halls and saw students walking to and from class. I looked at my watch and saw that it was about time for me to head to Potions. I thought and decided that I didn't want to attend the rest of my classes for the day. I wanted to think about everything that was happening.

As I walked into the Gryffindor common room I saw Angelina sitting in the corner scrambling together the last of her Defense Against the Dark Arts paper. This semester I had rarely seen Angelina. Before I became close with the twins Angelina and I were never apart. I was beginning to miss my cousin. She was the only person to fully understand me and not judge me. My heart began to sting a little. If Lupin was my father... Angelina was not family anymore. I clutched the album in my hand and bit my lip.

She barely noticed me walking over to her and sitting down across from her. I sat and stared at the table for a while before she looked up. "Hey Ava! Long time no see!" She looked at her watch and then looked at me. "Shouldn't you be in class right now?" She raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. "Yeah but I decided to take a break." I ran my fingers through my hair. "I could say the same about you."

She smirked and continued to write on her paper. "I know. I put off that DADA paper Snape assigned when Lupin was gone. Wood kept me busy with Quidditch. God that man is mental!"

I nodded and set the album down at the table. I watched Angelina quickly scribble the last of her paper. Soon she was finished and placed the parchment into her napsack. She sat back and looked up at me. "So... what's going on with you and the twins? You two are inseperable. It's like we've switched places!"

I smiled. "Yeah I know. They can't get enough of me."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was just Fred." She stood. "Or maybe you two can't get enough of each other." She started walking towards the stairs. "Let's go to my room. Katie and Alicia are gone. We can be free to talk. And you can tell me all the juicy details about what's been going on."

I stood and followed her to her room. I walked into her room and sat on Katie's bed. Angelina shut the door and jumped onto her bed. She turned onto her side and rested head on her hand. "So spill. How long have the two of you been shagging?"

My eyes widened. "Who told you?!" Immediately I turned red. The look on Angelina's face told me that she had never found out. She was just joking. I sighed. "I must stop doing that!"

She immediately sat up and sat on the edge of her bed. "Okay! Spill!!"

The two of us sat on the edge of her bed and talked about the whole Fred situation. Her eyes widened when I told her about how Fred found me and the two of us ended up sleeping together. She sat back. "Why were you crying? What happened? Want me to kill someone for you? Remember I am your cousin!"

I got a sharp pain within me when she said, 'cousin'. I looked down at the floor. Angelina, worried, knelt on the floor and looked up at me. "Ava?... what's wrong?"

I sighed and looked down at her. "I'm not your cousin..."

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" She sat back. "You denouncing me as your cousin?"

I shook my head. "Lupin is my father..."

She stood and sat back on her bed slowly. "...Lupin?" She stared at me intently before laughing. "Oh come off it Ava! Professor Lupin... your Father?"

I sighed and handed her the album Lupin had given me while I was in his office. I began to tell her the whole story about how I heard Lupin and Dumbledore talking and what Lupin told me in his office. Before I could finish talking my eyes were filled with tears. Angelina quickly sat next to me and held me close. I cried on her shoulder. "I'm so confused Angie... I've lost the only family I've ever known. I don't know what to do..."

She held me tightly and sighed. "It's ok Ava... Did you talk to your father... uncle Anthony... about it?"

I shook my head. "I haven't... I was waiting before I asked. I wasn't sure how he would react..." I wiped my eyes. "Lupin wasn't in my life because of him. I don't know what he would do to me... or to Lupin for that matter."

Angelina gently rubbed my arm, calming me down to a light sob. "Would you want Lupin as your father?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know... I don't know what to think... He's the only family I have."

Angelina pulled me from her shoulder and looked at me. "You know that's not true... I'm your family..." She wiped a tear from my cheek. "No matter what I will always consider you my family. It's not blood but the heart which makes us family..."

* * *

Remus closed the door behind Ava and turned to look at the dog standing in the middle of his office. He walked to his desk and sat down on his chair. When he looked up the dog was no longer a dog. THe dog had morphed into someone close to his heart. 

"Sirius... what do you want?"

Sirius Black walked to the door quickly and locked it. He then scurried to the chair in front of Remus' desk and sat. He looked at Remus. "Who was that? She looked familiar..."

Remus sighed loudly and sat forward. "I helped you find a way out of Hogwarts and now you're back. You still have not told me why you are here. Is it Harry?"

Sirius coughed. "Do you perhaps anything to drink?" Remus rolled his eyes and pulled out his wand and conjured a goblet filled with water. Sirius grasped it and quickly emptied the goblet. "Thank you Remus..."

Remus stood. "You need to tell me why you're here Sirius before I send you back to Azkaban!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You would do that to me Remus. Your friend?..."

Remus began to raise his voice. "You were quick to turn in James and Lily!"

Sirius continued to sit and speak calmly. "It was not me Remus. You know I would never betray them."

Remus turned and faced the window. He sighed quietly. He knew Sirius could never do that. When he heard of Sirius' capture he was completely in shock. Deep down he knew Sirius could not turn in James and Lily. He looked down. "I know Remus... what do you want?"

"I've seen Peter..."

Remus turned and looked at Sirius is utter confusion. "Wormtail?..." He shook his head. "But Wormtail is..."

"Dead?..." Sirius stood. "On the contrary... he's in animagus form. He is with Voldemort. He's the one who betrayed Lily and James. I had found that out." He slowly walked towards Remus. "He framed me Remus! He must be turned in!"

Remus rubbed his head with his fingers. He looked up at Sirius. "I'll help you Sirius."

Sirius smiled lightly and let out a sigh of relief. He walked to Remus and patted him on the back. He looked around his office. "Very nice Moony... I've always seen you working as a teacher here..." He walked around and looked at his desk. Lying underneath a book he saw the corner of a picture. He pushed the book away and grabbed the photograph. He smiled. "We were so young!"

Remus walked over to Sirius and looked at the photo. It was a picture of the 6 of them. Sirius had his arm around Peter. Lily and James were sitting in the middle. James had his arms around her and was kissing her cheek. In the middle was Remus and Vanessa. Vanessa was perched on Remus' back and holding bunny ears behind his head while Remus smiled into the camera. Sirius studied the picture and then looked at Remus. "How is Vanessa?"

Remus was immediately filled with sadness. He turned away from the picture and sighed. "She died a while back..."

Sirius sat the picture on the table and walked over to his friend. "Sorry mate... She was a wonderful woman..."

Remus nodded, but didn't respond to Sirius. Suddenly Sirius picked up the picture again and looked down. "That girl... the one in your office... she's..."

"Vanessa's..." Remus finished Sirius' statement. Remus turned, "and mine..."

Sirius sat back against the desk and stare at Lupin. "Yours?"

Remus nodded.

Sirius scratched his head. "Does she know?"

Remus nodded again and sighed. "Don't know what good it will do. She looked repulsed when I told her."

Sirius crossed his arms across his chest. "Well how would you feel Remus... you think you belong somewhere and find out you belong elsewhere. Give her time Remus... If she's anything like Vanessa... She'll come around..."

Remus nodded and looked down as Sirius stood to pat Remus on is back.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
Hello again! I know... quick update! I'm in class right now and I decided to write the next chapter. Ah the joys of college. You can bring your laptop to class and the teacher will never know if you're taking notes or writing the next chapter of your fanfiction story! I don't condone this readers!!!!!! Remember that!!!! But hey... it's good for your that I'm doing haha. Anyways... PLEASE REVIEW! I get a crap load of people reading this but very few people review. Reviews make me happy and want to post more! I enjoy writing this and I would like to know if you're enjoying it!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie

p.s. In class yesterday (I know... bad Tinkie!!!) I wrote down the entire outline of the rest of the story! So I have no reason to dawdle. I have the skeleton written. All I need is the time to write down the rest of the story!


	21. Apology

**Chapter 21** – Apology

After talking that day with Angelina I had felt a bit better. She reminded me that family was not just blood. Angelina will always be my family. It has been almost a month and I had managed to keep my distance from professor Lupin. Although he had told me that he was my father I had felt extremely awkward around him. Although my father—Anthony will not be winning any awards for best father, he was the only father I had ever had. I still have not confronted my father about Lupin. He had written me a letter a couple weeks ago saying that his plans had changed and that he had wanted me to come home for the winter. I was a bit surprised but figured it was better than being alone at school.

One day Fred, George, Lee, and I were sitting in the courtyard. Fred and George were telling Lee about possibly starting their own business. I was sitting next to Fred, reading a book on Animagi.

"How much do you reckon these will sell for?" said Lee as he was holding one of the twins' fake wands.

Fred sat back against the tree I was leaning against and put his hands behind his head. "I don't know… maybe 5 galleons or so… how does that sound George?"

George nodded as he was looking off into the distance. When I looked to see what George was looking at I smiled. Over in the corner were Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. He was watching them intensely. I was unsure about which girl he was looking at but I knew he was watching one of them. "Why don't you take a picture?"

George broke his gaze and then looked at me. "What are you talking about? I was just thinking."

Fred laughed. "You...? think? I thought you were my twin?"

George threw a wad of parchment at Fred. I turned my head towards the girls and yelled. "Hey! Why don't you guys join us?"

I watched George's face turn slightly red as the three girls walked over into our direction. Angelina sat next to me with Katie and Alicia at her side. "Hey Ava, Fred, Lee, George…" Angelina smiled at each of us as she said our names. Out of the corner of my eye I caught George blush. Aha! I've figured it out! I giggled as I watched George become completely infatuated by Angelina.

Katie sat on her knees and ran he fingers through her hair. "So… any of you staying over the holidays?"

Lee shook his head. "Nah… I'm going home. You?"

Katie nodded. "Yeah I get homesick now and then. Alicia is going to be staying with me though."

Alicia nodded. "Yeah it will be fun. My mum and dad are going on a second honeymoon and I didn't want to stay here so Katie's parents offered to let me stay with them." Alicia looked at Fred and George. "How bout you two? I know Ron is staying."

Fred shook his head. "We're not as pathetic as Ronniekins. We'll be at home." Fred put his arm around me and I rested my head on his shoulder.

George agreed with his brother. "Yeah I can't wait to leave this school! How about you Angel?"

Angelina smiled. "Yeah I'll be at home with my mum and dad. They prefer it that I come home during the breaks. I get bored there so easily though…"

George sat up. "Well you're always welcome to come over for a visit! We can get some Quidditch practice going!"

Angelina groaned. "God you're starting to sound like Wood…"

George winced. "Sorry Angel. Well you can come over besides practicing for Quidditch…"

I looked up at him and smiled. "Like what?"

George shot a look at me and then at Angelina. "Well… umm… anything really. You all can come as a matter of fact!" He looked around at all of us. "I get tired of looking at this prat all day."

I laughed as Fred threw the wad of parchment back at George. George swatted it back towards Fred but his aim was a bit off because it accidentally smacked Angelina in her head. Angelina put her hand on her head. "Hey! Don't get me involved!"

I started to laugh harder. "Smooth move George…"

George immediately turned a beat read and apologized to Angelina. Angelina just smiled and turned to me. "So did Uncle Anthony every write you back?"

I nodded. "He told me that he wanted me to come home for the break. This will be the first time I spend the holidays not at Hogwarts." I smiled slightly and then stood. "I'll be back you guys… got to go to the bathroom."

Fred raised an eyebrow. "Want me to join ya?"

Angelina punched Fred hard in the shoulder. "Hey! Behave yourself Weasley! Remember I can kick your ass easily."

Fred scoffed. "I'd like to see you try Angel."

Angelina put her hand on her hip. "Oh I already have Weasley."

Fred sat up straight. "Hey! We were only 10! And if I can recall I was sick that day!"

Angelina blew on her knuckles and rubbed them against her chest. "Hey… a win is a win."

I laughed and excused myself and walked towards the restroom. I remembered that day like it was yesterday.

* * *

_I was at the burrow with Angelina. My aunt and uncle were watching me that weekend and they sent us over to the burrow to play with Fred and George for a couple hours. Angelina and the twins were playing in the backyard. I was sitting in a tree by myself reading one of my books. Mostly I was just sitting and watching the three of them play. This was the second time being at the burrow. I was never one to warm up to people quickly so I just sat and watched them play._

_That day as I was reading I heard someone calling to me. I looked down and saw one of the twins calling me. "Hey! Come down! It's my turn!"_

_I shook my head and continued to read. Suddenly I saw a rock fly past my face. I looked down and saw the boy holding another rock. I yelled. "Stop it!"_

_Suddenly I saw Angelina walk up behind him. "Fred! Leave her alone! If she doesn't want to come down then don't make her!"_

_Fred turned towards Angelina. "She's always up there! I want to play in the tree!" The twin turned to throw another rock up at me. I covered the book over my face to protect myself from the blow. Suddenly I heard a loud yelp. I looked down and saw Angelina's fist raised and Fred lying on the ground on his back covering his eye. Suddenly I heard him start to cry loudly._

_Quickly I saw Mrs. Weasley running into the backyard towards Fred. "What happened?"_

_Before Fred could speak George, who was standing behind Angelina, did. "Fred was throwing Rocks at Ava and so Angie hit him."_

_Mrs. Weasley knelt down to Fred. "Is this true?"_

_Fred kept crying. "But it was my turn!"_

_Mrs. Weasley grabbed Fred by the arm and pulled him up. "I told you not to throw things! You're coming with me!" She grabbed Fred and dragged him into the house while he was crying. Angelina looked up at me and smiled._

* * *

I laughed to myself as I walked out of the restroom. When I came out I bumped into someone. I looked up and my heart stopped slightly. "Are ya all righ'? I dinna mean to bump ya."

I brushed myself off. "It's ok Oliver." I started to walk away when he grabbed my hand.

"Wait! I wanted to talk to ya…"

I paused and looked towards the group sitting in the courtyard. They were laughing about something. Fred would not be happy if he saw me talking with Oliver. I turned and faced him. "We don't really have much to say to each other…"

He cleared his throat. "I jus' wanna say I'm sorry for wha' happened between us. I dinna want to hurt you."

I nodded. "It's ok Oliver. It's over and done with."

"I know…" He looked down at the floor. "That doesn' excuse what I did. I don' know wha' came over me. I guess I let my emotions overcome me and I dinna now how to handle them. I know I fucked up and I'm sorry… If I could take tha' day back I would."

I looked into his eyes. I could see truth there. I knew he wasn't lying. He seemed like he actually cared.

He looked over at the group. "I hear you and Fred are an item now… congratulations."

"Yeah we are. I'm happy." I wrapped my arms around myself.

He smiled lightly. "I'm glad to see ya happy." He rubbed the back of his head. "I just wanna know if it's okay if we can still be friends…"

I didn't know what to say. I was very confused. One the one hand Oliver completely fucked me over… but on the other hand I feel that he was sincere in his apology. I decided to follow my heart. "Okay… I don't see why we can't."

Oliver smiled and gave me a tight hug that completely surprised me. I didn't know how to respond. I just decided to put my hand on his back lightly. I just hoped Fred hadn't seen. Oliver pulled away and kissed me on the cheek. "Thank ya love!" He looked at the courtyard and then back at me. "I gotta go… see ya later." And with that he quickly ran down the hall. _What just happened?_ I asked myself as I turned around. When I turned around I saw why Oliver had ran away so quickly.

Fred was standing halfway between the group and me. I looked at the group and saw them all looking in my direction. When I made eye contact they immediately looked in opposite directions. I looked back at Fred and he had a look of anger on his face. I bit my lip and took in a deep breath preparing myself for what was about to happen.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Fred yelled to me as he walked closer to me.

I stood my ground. "It was nothing Fred… Oliver…"

"It's didn't fucking look like nothing!" He walked up close to me and then down the hall where Wood ran.

I backed up slightly. "Nothing happened."

"Then why was he talking to you?" His eyes scared me. I had never seen him so angry.

"He just wanted to apologize and asked if I still wanted to be friends with him."

"And you said ok?!"

I raised my head to look at him dead in the eye. "Yes I did. What's wrong with that?"

Fred scoffed. "Are you bloody mental?! Wood doesn't want to be your friend! Haven't you learned anything?!"

I crossed my arms. "It's only a friend! Nothing more!"

Fred pointed down the hall. "Then why did he give you a fucking kiss and then run down the hall when I came over?!" I didn't reply. "You can't be friends with him! Do you still have feelings for him?"

My eyes widened. "You have no right to tell me who I can or cannot be friends with." I couldn't believe he was yelling at me like this. "I'm with you, remember? You're much better than him. I want to be with you!"

Fred looked down at me and then turned and walked away. I yelled after him down the hall. "Fred!" He continued walking. "Stop acting like a child!" It was no use. Fred ignored me as he ran down the hall. I looked towards the group and saw that George had gotten up and began to run after Fred. I looked at the rest of them in confusion.

* * *

Dear readers,

I know I probably got a lot of haters from this chapter because I made George have a tiny crush on Angelina. The ONLY reason I did so was because they end up married according to JK Rowling... so sigh I decided to just go with it since I had decided to be doing the whole "following with the story and outcome" thing. I however like Angelina and I was really happy that she ends up with George (However I think she should have been with Fred but we all saw how that ended cries DAMN YOU J.K. ROWLING! DAMN YOU!) I personally thought Alicia and George were cute but… alas… But I think it will be o.k. with what I'm planning!

Anyways next chapter is going to be a BIG ONE! I'm itching to write it!! You won't expect what's coming!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	22. Crude Awakening

((A/N: This is the longest chapter I have written for this story :x Anyways… ENJOY!))

-------------------------

**Chapter 22** – Crude Awakening

For the past couple of days Fred and I have been pretty distant. George and I both agreed that Fred was acting very childish and needed to stop. George did however agree with his brother that I should not be friends with Oliver Wood but I shouldn't be dictated to about who or who I cannot be friends with. So for the last couple of days I've been hanging around Angelina, Katie, and Alicia.

I was sitting on Angelina's bed as she was packing up for the winter break. Alicia was lying on her back playing with her hair as Katie was folding her clothes. Angelina closed her trunk and plopped her body on it to jam it closed. After a minute she was finally able to fully close it. She took in a deep breath and sat down next to me on her bed.

"So have you talked to Fred yet?" said Angelina.

I shook my head. Alicia rolled onto her stomach to face me while she was still playing with her hair. "Are you going to? We leave in about a couple hours."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not going to talk to him. He's being a prat. He needs to apologize."

Katie put the clothes she was folding into her trunk. She grabbed a pair of jeans and began folding those. "You need to stop being so proud. How would you feel if you saw him hugging and kissing some girl he used to date?"

I scoffed. "I'm not being proud! He needs to stop acting like a child! I did not kiss Oliver! He gave me a peck on the cheek… that's all! Besides… I haven't even seen Oliver since that day." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fred saw only what he wanted to see."

Angelina rolled her eyes and leaned back onto her bed. "That's how boys are. They only see or hear whatever they want to. That's why I'm happily single."

Alicia sat up quickly. "Happily single? Since when have you been happy single Angie?"

Angelina pretended to look offended. "I've always been happy single Leesh!"

Katie scoffed. "Yeah right. That's why you're always jumping from boy to boy. I'm surprised you haven't found anyone yet."

Angelina shrugged. "Eh I don't know Kate… No one seems to spark my interest."

Katie closed her trunk and locked it. "Why don't you be like Ava and snatch up the other half of the Weasley twins?"

Angelina began to laugh. "Who? George? Merlin's Beard no! Besides he's never shown any interest in me. We're just good friends."

I smiled thinking about how George acted around Angelina. Angelina has never expressed interest in George before. She was always very close to the twins. George was never the type to flock towards girls like Fred did. I think that's why Angelina had an interest in Fred for a short period of time. Fred would openly flirt with girls while George always played the friend card. Angelina turned towards me.

"You know what I think?"

I shook my head. "What?"

"I think that you should stand your ground Ava. Let Fred pout it out."

I nodded and stood. "He needs to relax and stop acting like a child!"

* * *

"You need to talk to her Fred," said George as he threw some experiments into his trunk. George was slightly amused and slightly appalled at Fred's behavior for the past couple of days. He could see that Fred was struggling to stay away from Ava, but he knew that his brother's pride was stopping him. "Stop being so damn proud!"

Fred was lying on his back staring at the ceiling. He shook his head. "I'm not going to unless she stops talking to Wood!"

George sighed and sat onto his bed. "You're not her father. You don't need to tell her whom she can or cannot talk to. Besides… I haven't seen her anywhere near him. Wood has been wrapped up in Quidditch and leaving Hogwarts to do anything."

Fred sat up. "I'm her boyfriend! I just want her to stay away from that prat!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides… she hasn't tried talking to me! So until she stops acting like a child I'm not going to talk to her!"

George rolled his eyes as he threw a pillow at his twin. "Do you realize how dumb you sound?"

Fred threw the pillow back at his brother. "I'm not!"

George threw the pillow back at Fred. "Are too!"

Fred threw the pillow back at his brother. "Am not!"

George threw the pillow back at Fred. "Are too!"

Suddenly the door opened and Lee walked into the room and dodged a pillow that came his way. "Hey! Be careful! What are you two fighting about?"

George stood and walked over to his trunk to close it. "Fred doesn't want to admit how dumb he is being."

Fred fell back onto the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not!"

Lee walked over to his bed and started to laugh. "You both are pretty dumb to begin with." Suddenly Lee ducked as he saw two pillows fly in his direction.

* * *

The Hogwarts express pulled into Platform 9 and 3/4. I stepped off the train with Angelina and I had felt a sting of sadness. I looked around the station that I had come to be familiar with. I looked around and once again saw familiar faces. This time the students were reuniting towards their families and embracing with one another. I turned and saw Fred, George, and their little sister Ginny run towards their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Fred and I made eye contact briefly before he quickly turned and faced his mother. Before I could turn and walk away I heard Mrs. Weasley call me.

"Angelina? Ava? Is that you?" I looked at Mrs. Weasley and Angelina smiled and ran towards her happily. I looked at Fred as I walked towards Mrs. Weasley. She smiled and gave me a hug. "How is the school year for you girls?"

We smiled. "It's going great Mrs. Weasley!" said Angelina.

"I haven't seen you girls in a while. You two need to stop by the burrow before you go back to school. It would be lovely to have you two over for dinner." I haven't seen Mrs. Weasley in a few years. The last time I had seen her was before I had been accepted into Hogwarts.

Angelina rubbed her stomach. "Mmm… I would love to come over for dinner! I just have to ask my parents first…" Suddenly we heard Angelina's father calling for her. She turned and gave all of us a hug. "I got to go! See you all!" She turned and ran towards her parents.

Mrs. Weasley turned towards me. "So Fred and George tell me that you have become really close with them! I hope they have been behaving themselves!"

George groaned. "Mum! We're always good!"

Fred nodded. "Little angels!"

Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes and continued to smile at me. "Perhaps I can have Arthur talk to your father and have you spend a weekend with us. How does that sound?"

I thought and immediately thought he would never agree. Before I could say anything Arthur spoke. "Now Mollywobbles… Let this girl have a break. Maybe he father wants her to spend time at home."

Molly Weasley shook her head and smiled at me. "Well, don't be a stranger! You'll always have a home at the burrow!" I nodded and smiled. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a hug. I gave Ginny a quick hug.

"Bye Ava!" said Ginny and then she began walking away with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, leaving me alone with the twins.

I walked towards George and gave him a hug. He picked me up and began to spin me around. "I'm going to miss ya!" said George as he pretended to sniffle. I smiled and planted my feet on the ground.

"I'm going to miss you too George."

I looked over at Fred and he was looking at the ground with his hands in his pockets. George looked at the both of us. "I'll leave you two to snog." He patted his brother on the back and ran towards the rest of his family.

I turned towards Fred and he looked up from the ground. Neither of us said anything to each other. I sighed. "Well I guess I'll see you when school starts again…"

Fred didn't say anything. I slowly began to turn and walk away. Before I could walk to far I felt Fred grab my arm and pull me towards him and plant a deep and hard kiss on my lips. I gasped in shock but then deepened the kiss. As quickly as the kiss started the kiss ended. Fred stepped back and blushed slightly. "Write me?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I was still a bit blown away by the suddenly changed by Fred's sudden change in emotion. Fred then pulled me close for a hug and whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry…"

I smiled and held him tightly. "I'm sorry too…"

Fred pulled away and kissed me lightly on the cheek. "I'll write you soon." He then turned and ran towards his family. I smiled as I watched him walk away. Suddenly I heard a voice from behind me.

"Does your father know you have a boyfriend?"

I turned and was met with a brutal face that I had come to know during my childhood. "Hello Yaxley…"

Yaxley looked down at me, his lips curled into a smile. "You have grown a lot since the last time I saw you." He opened up his arms. "Give your godfather a hug. The last time I saw you was…"

"At my mother's funeral." I lightly embraced my godfather and looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Where is my father?"

He knelt down and picked up my trunk. "He had to clear a few things with the ministry. Since he elected to stay here instead of going overseas he had to find a replacement. I'm to take you home. I'm staying with your father for a while."

* * *

I walked into my room and fell back against my bed. Before I had the chance to close my eyes and relax I heard something slam against my window. I sat up and saw a scruffy bird lying on my windowsill. I opened my window and the bird slowly stood up. I immediately recognized the Weasley owl. Errol stood and shook his head. I held out my arm and he perched himself onto it. I grabbed the parchment that was attached to his leg and opened it.

_Dear Ava,_

_I couldn't wait to write you. George says Hi. I hope that this break will be okay for you. If you ever need a place to escape my room is always open. You also know that you can always travel by floo powder if you miss me._

_Love, Fred_

_p.s. Give Errol some water please?_

I smiled and let Errol sit on my desk. I pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write.

_Dear Fred,_

_You missed me that much already? Tell George I said Hi as well. I think I will be fine. My godfather picked me up from the station. I plan on talking to my father whenever we are alone. Thank you for the invite. I'll keep that in mind._

_Your Ava_

I poured Errol some water in a bowl sitting on my desk. I tied the letter to his leg and after a few minutes Errol flew out of the window. I smiled as I watched him fly off into the distance. I then heard a knock on my door. "Come in…"

My godfather Yaxley opened the door and stood in my room. "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head and took off my jacket. "I ate a little before I came."

My godfather didn't say anything to me except watch me take off my jacket. He leaned against the doorway and smiled. "You have grown a lot… No wonder you have a boyfriend."

I smiled uneasily and wrapped my arms around me. "Thank you…" I took a step back. "I think I'm just going to take a nap."

He nodded and turned to walk out. Before he closed the door he eyed me up and down and smiled eerily. When he closed the door I shuddered and walked to the door and locked it. I crawled into my bed and looked at the photo on my nightstand. It was a picture of my mother smiling into the camera as leaves were falling in the background.

* * *

I was at home for a couple of days and I had rarely seen my father. My godfather however was everywhere I was. I skipped out eating meals with them when my godfather was around. Late one night I was starved. I opened my door quietly and looked down the hall. I could hear my godfather snoring in the room next to mine. I slowly walked down the hall quietly and walked down the stairs into the kitchen.

I made myself a sandwich and ate an apple. As I took a bite into my sandwich I heard someone cough in the study. I put my food down and walked towards the study. I peeked through the door and saw my father sitting at his desk writing. Before I could turn to walk away my father lifted his head. "Come in Ava…"

I slowly opened the door and walked into my father's study. I sat down at the armchair in the corner of the room. My father looked down at his paperwork and continued to write. "How was the term?"

I shrugged. "It was ok. It was an interesting semester…"

He put a parchment onto a pile and then started to write again. "Yaxley tells me that you're dating that Weasley boy…"

I nodded slowly. "Yes father…"

He never looked up at me, just continued to scribble words onto the parchment. "I normally would disapprove… but you are almost of age…" I surprised. I thought my father would have disapproved and banished me from dating him. I decided not to argue. "Learn anything interesting?"

I nodded. "I learned Cartomancy…" My father nodded. I bit my lip and proceeded slowly. "I also learned a lot about myself…"

My father looked up at me and put his quill down. He sat back in his chair and clasped his hands together. "Like what?"

I looked down. I didn't know how to approach my father about Lupin. I sighed and decided to just tell him. "Is it true that professor Lupin is my father?"

My father remained silent and stared at me. I searched his eyes for anything. He just kept a blank stare the entire time. I wished that I hadn't asked my father. I just wanted to run out of the room. However my body remained frozen. After a few minutes my father spoke.

"It's possible… I never thought that you were my daughter." He face was still completely blank.

I looked down at my hands that were sitting on my lap. I bit my lip. My father ju I looked up at my father and he picked up his quill.

"I'll be having some people over tomorrow. I want you to stay in your room. I will be going over with some business." He started writing again. "You may go to bed."

I stood slowly and walked up the stairs towards my room. When I reached the top of the stairs I heard the bathroom door open. I quickly ran towards my room and closed the door. I heard my godfather's footsteps pause in front of my door before walking into the room next to mine and slowly closed the door.

* * *

The next day I stayed in my room like my father had told me. I had not objected. I was not interested in being around my father or Yaxley. When the sun had set I heard the front door open and voices. I did not recognize any of the voices coming from downstairs. After a couple hours I started to become hungry. I had eaten the last of the food that my godfather had given me in the early afternoon. I set down my quill and took a break from writing my letter to Fred. I stretched and stood. I was still in my pajamas. I opened my door slowly and peeked down the hall. The hall was clear and I decided to walk down the hall. I stopped at the top of the stairs and sat down at the top step to see what was happening down stairs.

My father was sitting in his armchair with a glass of brandy in his hand. Yaxley was standing by the closed curtain and was looking at the men standing on the other side of the room. The man with the long blond hair was standing straight as he held his staff in his hand.

"Anthony… he is about to rise again. Your allegiance still stands?"

My father just nodded his head and leaned back against his chair. He took a sip of his brandy and crossed his legs. "I have always remained faithful. It is you, Lucius, who have fallen from him…"

Lucius walked towards my father but the oafish man behind him stopped him. He seemed to look familiar. The oafish man spoke. "Malfoy, Crabbe, and I have remained loyal… If we heard anything we would have done more!" I realized that they were Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle's fathers.

Lucius pulled his shoulders back and scowled. "Where is he now?"

My godfather leaned back and chuckled. My father took another sip of his brandy. "Albania… regaining his strength…"

Lucius, Crabbe, and Goyle looked at each other and then at my father. "Regaining his strength?"

Yaxley nodded. "That diary you gave to that Weasley girl contained part of him. When Potter destroyed it you destroyed a part of him…"

My eyes widened. _Lucius was the one who caused the chamber to open?_

Lucius remained quiet. My father finished his brandy and set it down on the side table. "The dark lord will deal with you three when he has regained his strength."

I gasped loudly. _The dark lord…? My father… a death eater?! _Suddenly I saw my godfather looking up at me. My father nodded towards him and Yaxley came running after me up the stairs. I quickly turned and ran into my room and locked the door behind me. I ran into my closet and closed the door.

I heard banging on my door but I remained hidden in my closet. Suddenly I heard my door swing open and heard my godfather's footsteps around my room. I closed my eyes and held my breath. Suddenly my closer door swung open and my godfather grabbed me by the shoulders and dragged me out of the closet. I bit his hand and he yelped. He then slapped me hard across the face and pulled out his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

I immediately fell backwards against my bed. I tried to move my body but was completely unable to. He had put a complete full body bind on me. I watched him put his wand into his inner jacket pocket. He slowly walked over to me and hovered over me. He ran his finger down the side of my face.

I felt completely disgusted and scared at the same time. There was nothing that I could do. I watched as my godfather ran his finger along the hem of my pajama pants. I saw a smile curl onto his lips. "You do look tempting…"

He ran his tongue across my lips as I felt his hand slip down my pants. I tried desperately to move or to scream but I was completely unable to. There was nothing I could do to prevent my godfather from taking me for his own. I felt a tear fall down my face as I closed my eyes.

Suddenly I felt my godfather fly off of me onto the ground. I opened my eyes and saw my father pointing his wand at Yaxley. My father pointed his wand at Yaxley and yelled, "Crucio!" I heard Yaxley scream in pain. My father pointed his wand at me and yelled, "Finite Incatatem!" Suddenly I was able to sit up. My father looked at me and yelled. "Run!"

I stared at my father in confusion. He pulled me off the bed and pushed me out the door. "Run! Get out of here!"

I turned and ran out the door. I heard Lucius yelling down the hall. I turned and ran into my father's room. Before I closed the door I heard Yaxley yell. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

I gasped as I heard a body thud on the floor. I slammed the door and locked it. I looked around my father's room and ran towards the fireplace. I frantically grabbed a handful of floo powder in my hand. I looked towards the door and saw it blast open. Before I could see who blasted through the door I dropped the powder and yelled, "The Burrow!"

* * *

Fred and George were sitting in their rooms. George was looking through one of his potions books. Fred turned to his brother and scoffed. "What are you doing? School is not becoming of you Forge…"

George smirked and turned the page. "I know… but I would hate to see the look on mum's face when she sees we got Trolls on all of our OWLs."

Fred shrugged. "True… She would be bloody pissed that's for sure… She would probably hex us…" He put his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling. "I'm going to have Ava give me a crash course the day before."

"That's if Ava is willing."

Fred looked at his brother. "Maybe you can get Angel to help you out."

George turned the page. "Maybe… I doubt it though…"

Fred looked at the ceiling. "You need to stop being a bloody coward and just ask her out!"

George shook his head. "I like to take things slower than you brother."

Fred shrugged. "Okay… just be careful… someone might sneak in before you get the chance."

George shrugged and turned the page. After a minute George threw the book across the room. "Enough of that rubbish… I'm starved! You think mum's finished making dinner?" He leaned back on his bed and put his arms behind his head like his brother.

Before Fred could answer he heard his mother yell. "Fred! George! Come down here!"

Fred and George jumped off of their beds and smiled. "Right on time!" They said in unison and ran down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the steps the smiles on their faces immediately left when they saw Ava lying on the ground in the middle of the room unconscious with their mom and Ginny kneeling beside her.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to add DRAMA! Well there it is! Please please please please PLEASE Review!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and take the poll in my profile. Cast your vote on which twin you think is cuter :) Anyways... Please Review... the more reviews I get the quicker I'll post a new chapter! I know alot of you are reading this because I can see how many hits I'm getting!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	23. The Funeral

**Chapter 23** – The Funeral

When I regained consciousness I felt pain throughout my entire body. My head especially was throbbing. As well as feeling physically drained I felt emotionally empty. I was still in shock from everything I had learned in one night. Although I was awake I was frightened to open my eyes. I did not know exactly where I was. When I went through the Floo Network I had fainted before I had reached my final destination. I did not know if I had made it to the Burrow or if my godfather had caught me before I had left.

I opened my eyes slowly and allowed my eyes to adjust to the light. The room was filled with only a small bit of moonlight shining through the window. I raised my hand to my head and felt a cool cloth bandaged onto my head. As I sat up slowly as I scanned the room for any familiarity. I could faintly make out the few posters that were on the walls. As I sat up I felt a hand grasp my arm lightly. Frightened, I jumped back. If the bed had been bigger I would have been fine. But since I was only on a twin-sized bed I fell back and landed with a loud thud on the ground.

My eyes closed and pain shot through my head as soon as the light in the room flicked on. Suddenly I heard George call out the door. "Mum! Dad! She's awake!"

My hands held my head as I felt someone lift me to a sitting position on the floor. I could tell it was Fred when I heard him whisper into my ear. "It's ok I'm here…" As I opened my eyes I saw blurred visions of people running into the room I was in. I heard Mrs. Weasley speak. "Help her to the bed Fred… Ginny… get some ice for me dear."

I felt Fred lift me up off the floor and place me onto the bed. When my vision became clearer I realized that I was in Ginny's room by the giant Gwenog Jones poster on the wall. I looked to Fred who was sitting beside me and felt his hand brushing hair out of my face. Ginny soon came running into the room with a cloth filled with ice. Mrs. Weasley shooed Fred off the bed and took his place beside me. She removed the cloth bandaged to my head and held the new cloth up to my head. "Hold this dear…"

I raised my hand to hold the ice to my head. Mrs. Weasley stood and shooed everyone out of the room. "Ginny! Please finish cleaning up downstairs and you two…" She pointed to Fred and George. "Finish de-gnoming the garden!" Fred, George, and Ginny began to argue but Mrs. Weasley gave them an evil glare. The three of them slowly turned and walked out of the room.

Mrs. Weasley pulled back the blankets on Ginny's bed and helped me get underneath the blankets. She sat at the bottom of the bed and gave me a smile. "You gave us quite a scare there. I'm just glad to see you awake. You were knocked out for a couple days."

"A couple of days?" I said in confusion. I could not believe that I was unconscious for that long. Mrs. Weasley nodded and then walked into Ginny's closet and pulled out a towel. "There is a shower down the hall if you want to clean up. When you came through the floo you were completely covered from head to toe in soot. I was able to clean most of it but you still have some soot still left on you."

I pulled the ice cloth off my head. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley… I'm sorry about coming without notice… I know it was a bit unexpected… I just didn't know where else…"

She smiled and sat on the bed. "Shhh no need to apologize. I just want you to get rested. We'll discuss everything later." She stood and straightened her dress. "Are you hungry? We have some food left over from downstairs. I'll have the boys bring you some food in a bit." She smiled to me one last time before she turned and walked out of the door.

When she left the room I got up and stood. My headache was going away but I still felt groggy. I walked by the mirror in the corner of Ginny's room and looked at myself. My hair was completely in disarray. There were black smudges around my eyes and parts of my face. My pajamas were completely dirtied from the soot. I grabbed the towel and opened the bedroom door slowly. I walked down the hall and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Molly Weasley walked downstairs into the kitchen. Arthur Weasley was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet. When Molly walked into the kitchen Arthur set down the paper and looked up at his wife. "How is she?" 

Molly walked to the refrigerator and pulled out some leftovers. "She's fine. Just a little stunned. No word from her aunt and uncle?"

Arthur shook his head. "They are on their way back from Tanzania. They went to visit a friend of Nick's on the Quidditch team there."

Molly finished putting food on the tray and brought it to the table. "Any word on Anthony?"

Arthur sighed. "He was found in his house this morning. Killing Curse finished him off. The ministry wants to question Ava about what happened."

Molly shook her head. "No Arthur. She's been through enough as it is! The girl just lost her father."

Arthur nodded and stood. "I know Molly… but she is the only person who would be able to tell us what happened."

Fred and George walked into the kitchen. George went towards the tray of food and grabbed a piece of bread. Before he could put it into his mouth Mrs. Weasley snatched it from his hands. "That's for Ava!"

"Geez mum… you didn't have to snatch it from me!" He went straight for the refrigerator and grabbed a leftover drumstick and leaned against the counter. Fred walked to the table and sat next to his father.

Mrs. Weasley took the tray of food and pushed it into George's hands. "Take this upstairs to Ava."

George looked to his brother and then walked up the stairs with Fred following right behind him. When the twins reached the top of the stairs they looked down the hall and heard the shower running. George walked into Ginny's room with the tray of food and set it down on the bed. Fred walked into the room slowly and looked around the room.

George grabbed a piece of cheese from the tray and took a bite out of it. He turned to his brother and saw the concerned daze on his face. "Earth to Fred…"

Fred shook himself out of the daze and looked at his brother. "Sorry… Dazed off for a bit…"

George sat on the bed and stretched. "Just be happy that she's here… and that she has finally woken up."

Fred sighed and sat on the chair in the corner of the room. "I know…"

* * *

I got out of the shower and dried myself off with the towel. I realized that I did not have any clean clothes to wear. So I decided just to put my dirty ones back on. I walked out of the shower and down the hall. When I walked into Ginny's room I saw Fred sitting on a chair in the corner and George sitting on Ginny's bed eating some food that was on a tray. George looked up at me and smiled. "Mum made some food for you. It's delicious!" 

I looked down at the tray and saw that half the food on the tray appeared to have been eaten. I smiled and pushed George off the bed and began to eat the rest of the food left.

George stood and brushed himself off. "Oww! That hurts! At least I know you aren't dying."

I smiled slightly and thought about what happened. I quickly pushed that out of my mind. I looked up at George and then looked at my sooted clothes. "Do you know where I can get some pajamas?"

George smiled. "At your service…" he bowed and then ran out of the room. I watched George leave the room. I looked over at Fred and saw him staring at me. I got off the bed and walked towards him.

I looked down at him. "Are you okay?"

Fred looked up at me and I could see sadness in his eyes. He sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah I'm okay. You just scared me a bit…"

I sat down on his lap and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry… to tell you the truth… I'm a bit scared myself."

Fred rubbed his hand up and down my back. "You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to."

I placed my head on his shoulder. "I want to tell you all at the same time. I still need to think about what exactly did happen…"

Fred nodded and kissed me on the cheek. At that moment George came running into the room with some clothes in his hands. He handed them to me. "They may be a bit big on you but it'll have to do for now."

I smiled and stood. I unfolded the clothes and saw that they were a pair of George's flannel pajama bottoms and a white shirt. "Thank you… I appreciate it."

George smiled. "It's no problem… besides… I always knew you wanted to get into my pants…"

I punched him hard in the arm right before Fred got up and pulled his brother out of the room. George held onto his arm wincing as Fred laughed lightly. "We'll let you get changed! We'll be upstairs if you need us!"

* * *

I sat in bed looking up at the ceiling. I turned and saw Ginny sleeping in her bed, lightly snoring. I sighed as I looked at the door. There was a bright light shining underneath the door. I saw a shadow pass by the door. I then heard the doorknob jiggle slightly. 

I gasped in fear and raised the blanket up over my head. I heard footsteps in the room. I heard Ginny yawn loudly. I closed my eyes as I heard the footsteps circle my bed. I felt someone tug on my blankets. I held onto them tightly. Suddenly my blankets flew off of me and I was face to face with my godfather.

I rose up from the bed and gasped loudly. I woke up with sweat dripping down my body and my heart racing. It was a dream… I was all a dream. I had imagined my godfather in Ginny's room. I looked over at Ginny and saw her lying on her stomach with an arm stretched over the bed.

I quietly got out of my bed and walked out of the door. I looked down the hall and saw that the hall was completely empty. I walked up the stairs slowly and listened. I could hear Fred and George snoring in a room not too far from where I was standing. I found their bedroom and opened the door slowly.

George was asleep facing the wall while Fred was a asleep on his back. I closed the door lightly and silently walked over to Fred's bed. I pulled back the covers and crawled into the bed next to him. I felt Fred tense for a bit before letting out a deep breath and placing his arm tightly around me and dozing back off into sleep.

* * *

The next morning I had made it downstairs with Fred and George and walked into the kitchen for breakfast. I saw Angelina sitting at the breakfast table across from Ginny eating an apple. Mrs. Weasley was preparing breakfast. I ran towards Angelina and she gave me a tight hug. "I'm so glad that you're alright!" 

Suddenly I heard Angelina's mom run into the room and grasped both me and Angelina into a giant hug. I felt a tear fall down my cheek as I held my cousin and my aunt. After a few minutes my uncle Nick walked into the room with Mr. Weasley.

After breakfast me, my aunt, uncle, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat down in the living room. Fred, George, Ginny, and Angelina were told to go into the other room. Although they were not in the room I knew that they were still eavesdropping. I recounted for the four of them what had happened that night. How I overheard my father's death eater meeting, how my father stopped my godfather from taking advantage of me, and how my godfather killed my father.

Mrs. Weasley and my aunt had a look of horror on their face while Mr. Weasley sat in his chair with a blank expression on his face. My uncle was standing looking out the window not saying a word. After a minute or two my uncle turned to face me.

"Since your father is… you need a place to stay once school is over. You aunt and I are willing to take guardianship of you."

I nodded and looked to my aunt. She nodded quickly and put on a small smile onto her face. I looked to the floor and thought about Lupin. I didn't know what to say to my aunt and uncle about that. He is after all my father.

My aunt interrupted my thoughts. "You don't have to think about that now. I want you to worry about school. A day after the funeral you will be returning back to Hogwarts. We'll discuss this later."

I looked up at my aunt. "Am I going to the funeral?"

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "You don't have to attend if you don't want to. Because of the danger this puts you in by attending the ministry strongly suggests that you remain absent from the funeral. If you do however want to attend the ministry would be willing to give you Polyjuice potion. We are prepared to arrange that you attend the funeral as one of the workers in the ministry."

I sat and thought. If I went to the funeral I would be forced to be around my godfather. If I didn't I would regret not attending. After a few moments I nodded. "I would like to go…"

* * *

The funeral services were held at the St. James Cathedral by the ministry of magic. About a hundred witches and wizards attended the services. I was not allowed to communicate with my aunt, uncle, and Angelina for the entire service. I remained close to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. To a select few I was known as Ava Johnson. To everyone else I was Alyssa Nguyen, the secretary for Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the ministry. 

Before the services began they had a viewing of the body. After a while it was my turn to pay my respect to my father. It took me a while to make my way to the casket. When I reached it I looked down at the man I thought as my father. Suddenly I heard my father speak to me "_I never thought you were my daughter…"_ Although he didn't see me as his daughter he did care to help me. Whether or not he saw me as his daughter… he was always there for me. I turned from my father and began to walk away.

Suddenly I bumped into someone and then I heard that familiar voice that haunted my sleep. "Excuse me…" I looked up and was met with my godfather's eyes. He looked down at me sternly. "Are you alright miss?You look as if you have seen a ghost…"

I looked up at him in fear. I took a deep breath before I was able to find the courage to speak. "I'm sorry… I guess I don't feel right at these sort of things."

He looked down at me and smirked. I could feel his eyes eying me up and down hungrily. "They've never bothered me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "But I've always been a bit dark…" He leaned forward towards me. "I hope that doesn't bother you…"

I could feel his breath on me and my body began to tremble. My mind immediately flashed to that night. How he had me in a body bind. How his hands slithered down my body. Before I could respond I heard someone call my name. I turned and saw professor Lupin calling my name. "Alyssa! There you are!" He ran towards me and took me into a hug.

Yaxley took a step backwards and seemed to become uninterested as Lupin gave me a hug. He mumbled a goodbye and then walked away. I sighed loudly and thanked Lupin. "Thank you so much for that back there…"

He nodded and took a step back. "No problem… I saw him and thought to come to your rescue…"

I smiled. "Thanks… I needed it." I looked down at the floor and then back up at Lupin.

He looked over at the casket and then back at me. "I'm sorry about your father…" I nodded but didn't make eye contact with him. He put his hands in his pockets. "I heard what happened and I'm sorry…" He cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you in private?"

I nodded and then walked to a secluded area in the church with Lupin. We sat down on a bench and sat in silence. I felt uneasy sitting next to him. I knew he was going to bring up being my father but I was not ready to think about that.

Lupin turned to me. "With your father gone I'm sure you have thought about where you are going to stay once school is over."

I nodded. "I have. My aunt and uncle told me I was welcome to stay with them."

Lupin nodded and looked at my aunt and uncle who were talking with the Weasleys. "I've always liked you aunt and uncle." He looked towards me. "I just want you to know that my home is always open if you wanted to stay with me."

I looked up at him. "Thank you professor… I mean Remus." I looked around to see if anyone had heard the slip. Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations to hear what was going on. "I still haven't made a decision on that yet. When the time comes I will decide."

He nodded. "I know your mother didn't think that I would have been able to take care of the both of you. But I think she underestimated me." He took my hand in his. "I just want you to consider it."

I looked down at my hand and then back up at him. I nodded and stood. "I promise. Thank you…" I said m goodbye to professor Lupin and then walked towards Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I turned and saw Lupin continue to sit on the bench. After a few minutes he stood and walked away. As I watched him walk out the room I had made eye contact with my godfather. He was huddled in a group of men—including Lucius Malfoy. I saw him turn and watch Lupin walk out the cathedral. He then looked back at me and put on a crooked smile before turning back to Malfoy.

* * *

Dear Readers, 

Sorry for the long time in updating! Anyways… THANK YOU to those who reviewed! Reviews make me super happy and all giddy inside. I was bored this weekend and so I decided to make some graphics for my story. I was listening to this new artist, Leona Lewis, and I was in shock because she was exactly how I pictured Ava! (Just remove the spaces! Fanfiction wont let me post the links)

http:// img . photobucket . com / albums / v146 / sosweet487 / AvaFred . jpg  
http:// img . photobucket . com / albums / v146 / sosweet487 / AvaSmall . jpg

Anyways keep reviewing!!! Reviews make me feel special and that I'm doing a good job at writing a story :)

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	24. The Letter

**Chapter 24** – The Letter

School had started again at Hogwarts and although my life has been going through many changes I do not feel any different. I was happy that my friends were not divulging into what happened during the break. Professor Lupin didn't approach me for the past weeks being at Hogwarts, and I was thankful. However I was still on the fence about what will happen when I finish up the year at Hogwarts. Whether or not I was to stay with my aunt and uncle or with professor Lupin was a mystery to me.

The past couple of months went by quicker than I had thought. I kept myself occupied in helping Fred and George with their O.W.L. exams that they were to take at the end of the year. For once I was happy that I was helping them with their studies.

Although I was helping Fred and George excel, I was not doing as well on my studies as I would have normally liked. I kept myself absorbed in trying not to focus on my life that I started to slip away from doing my own work. I had lost a lot of motivation.

I was sitting in the Great Hall for breakfast. Fred, George, and Lee were stuffing their faces while Angelina, Katie, Alicia, and I watched in disgust. Katie shuddered as she watched Lee shove eggs into his mouth. George raised his plate to his mouth and began to stuff scrambled eggs into his mouth. Fred grabbed his goblet and took a big gulp of his orange juice, while some of it poured down his chin.

"Absolutely revolting…" said Katie. She set down her fork and pushed her plate of eggs away. "I've lost my appetite…"

Alicia grabbed Katie's plate and began to eat the rest of her eggs. I shook my head as I turned and looked at Angelina sitting next to me. She was reading a book on Quidditch that Wood had given her. Angelina was trying desperately to keep herself in the Quidditch mind. She had told me that Wood approached her a couple weeks prior to let her know that he was interested in having her possibly be captain once he is gone.

As Angelina was talking to Alicia and Katie about a new Chaser defense move she read about we heard the owls flying into the hall. I watched as letters were dropped to various students. However unexpectedly a weathered looking horned-owl flew into the hall and dropped a letter onto my lap. I looked up at the owl and didn't recognize it. I looked at the envelope and saw that there was no writing on it.

Before I had a chance to open the letter I heard Lindsay call my name. I looked up and saw her waving for me to come in her direction. "Class starts in 5 minutes!"

I looked down at my watch and gasped. I was surprised that I had lost track of time. I tossed the envelope into my bag and ran after Lindsay.

* * *

After transfiguration class Professor McGonagall asked me to stay after class to speak with her. She waited until the class had left before she began to speak.

"Miss Johnson… I wanted to talk with you about this semester. Since school has started again you have not done any of the homework I had assigned in class."

I lowered my head and tried to think of any sort of excuse that would seem satisfactory to her. I was unable to think of anything. The reason I hadn't done any of the homework in her class (or any of my classes for that matter) is because I had completely put them off. "I'm sorry professor. I just had a lot on my mind lately."

She nodded and put on her glasses. "I'm sorry about your loss. Myself and your other professors have decided to give you another chance. You will have until the end of the month to finish the assignments you've missed. You are a bright student. I would hate to see you throw away your education."

I nodded. "Thank you professor. I really appreciate this. I promise that I will pay more attention to my studies." I bid professor McGonagall goodbye and walked out of the classroom. As I walked out of the classroom I saw Fred and George standing in the hallway. Fred and George immediately ran towards me and put their arms around me. "There's our girl!" said George.

"We've been waiting for you!" said Fred.

"Oh no… I hope I wont regret this…" I said cautiously. Although Fred and George were always good friends to me, it was never a good thing to have them waiting for you. You never knew what was going on in their minds.

Fred and George scoffed and then said in unison. "What makes you think it's something bad?"

I laughed as I walked with them down the hall. "Call it women's intuition. So what do you two want?"

George took his arm from around my shoulder and put his hands in his pockets. Fred moved his arm from around my shoulder and then took my hand in his. "Just a little favor…" said Fred.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not doing your homework…"

George stopped and looked at me as if he was appalled. "What makes you think we wanted you to do our homework?"

I shrugged. "Just a guess… but okay then what do you two need?"

Fred smiled. "Well yeah we wanted to know if you would do our homework…"

I shook my head and smiled as I started to walk towards the great hall for dinner. "You two are unbelievable. Why can't you two do your own work?"

Fred and George ran to catch up with me. "You can't expect 'the' George and Fred Weasley to do their 'own' work?" said George as he walked beside me.

"Besides… you do it the best. We would never settle for anything less!" said Fred as he gave me a puppy dog look on his face.

I walked into the Great Hall and made my way towards Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. I sat down beside Angelina. As soon as we sat food appeared onto the table and we began to eat. After a few minutes Fred asked me one last time. "So can you do it?"

I shook my head no and George began to whine. "Why not? Wood is working us so hard that we don't have time to!"

I shook my head. "Sorry you're not getting any sympathy from me. You should have done your work earlier. Besides… I have my own work to worry about. McGonagall is giving me till the end of the month to finish with all my missed work. I really want to catch up on it. I don't want to be far behind next year."

"Brutal…" said George.

Fred looked at me with concern. "I didn't know you had gotten so far behind…"

I shrugged. "I didn't know that I was either." I took a sip of pumpkin juice. "Oh well. It's my fault I let this happen so I'm going to be living in the library for a while." I poured myself some crème of broccoli soup and started to eat.

Fred put his palm on my back and began to rub it lightly. George shrugged. "Well that will be ok. You can do you work while we focus on Quidditch. We have a big game coming up soon against Ravenclaw. I would be surprised if Wood doesn't work us night and day until the big game."

Suddenly I heard Wood walk up behind George and speak. "Good idea! I dinna think of tha' but we need all the practice we can get!" He patted George on the back. "The whole team can thank ya for ya dedication to the sport!" He smiled at us and then walked away. Suddenly the table was filled with angry glances from the rest of the Gryffindor team. Katie and Alicia gave George an angry glare while Harry groaned loudly. I felt Fred's hand on my back pause as he just stared at his brother blankly.

George smiled uneasily. "Hey guys!... How about a round of butterbeer next time we get to Hogsmeade? My treat!"

Suddenly George yelped in pain and grabbed his leg. "Who kicked me?!" He looked over at Angelina. She looked up at him and balled her hand into a fist. George began to look uneasy. "Now now Angel… you wouldn't want to do anything rash!"

Suddenly Angelina shot up from her spot as George immediately stood and took off in a sprint. He ran out the hall as Angelina ran after him yelling. "I'm going to get you Weasley!"

* * *

I was sitting in the Quidditch pitch that Friday afternoon watching the Gryffindor team practice their plays. I had spent the last few days getting caught up in the work I had missed. Surprisingly I was able to finish almost half of the work I needed to finish. There wasn't as much I had thought I had missed. Fred convinced me to come watch practice to get my mind of school. Although I was present in the stands I found my mind wandering through the events that had taken place last semester.

I watched as Fred and George flew in unison around the pitch. I smiled as I thought of them. It still felt as if it were yesterday that I was only seen as Angelina's friend. Now I feel the closest to them. They've become my second family.

As I thought of family I looked towards Angelina. I saw Angelina flying around the pitch with a Quaffle in her hand. I saw her throw it towards the hoops. I was so glad that she was my cousin. Hogwarts wouldn't have been the same without her.

I watched the Quaffle fly towards the hoops as Oliver quickly soared on his broom to catch the Quaffle. I watched as I saw him throw the Quaffle back to Angelina. I thought of how much I had liked him in the beginning of the semester. Although Oliver acted the way he did with me, and even though I was dating Fred, my heart still fluttered when I saw him. I do not like him the way I used to and I don't see myself ever doing so again. I was still on the fence with how I felt about Oliver. Although I had forgiven him for how he treated me, I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt come over me. Even though I knew Fred hated it when I talked to Oliver, I continued to do so. George only told me to be careful. If Oliver fucked me over again it would be my fault for letting him back into my life.

I heard Fred call my name and I looked up at him. He mouthed to me that he had wanted some water. I reached into my bag and grabbed my bottle. I threw it high up into the air and I watched him dive towards the bottle and catch it in mid air. He took a giant sip out of it and he flew towards me and tossed me the bottle.

As I reached into my bag to put the bottle back inside I felt something at the bottom of my bag. I reached inside and pulled out the envelope I had gotten earlier in the week. I had completely forgotten that I had gotten that letter at the start of the week. I opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. When I opened the letter I began to read.

"_My beloved Ava,_

_You left without saying goodbye.  
Do not fret. We will be together again soon._

_Your Godfather,  
Yaxley_

_p.s. It was nice seeing you at the funeral.  
Although I do prefer how you normally look._"

My heart immediately felt as if it had stopped. How did he know that it was me at the funeral? What did he mean by, "_we will be together again soon_"? Immediately I gathered my bag and quickly walked out of the stadium.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
Thank you to those who reviewed! Keep doing it!!! Anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Anxiously awaiting your reviews!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	25. A Night Visitor

**Chapter 25** – A Night Visitor

I ran down the hall and started to loudly knock on Lupin's door. After a few seconds I saw him open his door and look down at me in confusion. "Ava? What's wrong?"

I handed him the letter Yaxley had written me. "I didn't know who else to speak to. You were the first person I thought of coming to."

Lupin ushered me into his office and shut the door. He walked to a portrait on his wall. "Tell Albus I need to see him immediately." The man in the portrait nodded and then turned and disappeared from the portrait. Lupin led me to his chair and offered me a piece of chocolate. I took it and took a couple of bites.

After a few minutes the door to Lupin's office swung open and Dumbledore walked in. "What's the matter Remus?" Lupin wasted no time in handing Dumbledore the letter I had received. I watched as the two men mumbled to each other as they were reading the letter. Suddenly Dumbledore turned towards me and began to speak. "When did you receive this letter?"

I thought for a few moments. "I think it was on Monday. It arrived by post and I had forgotten about it until this afternoon. You don't think he will try to come here do you professor?"

I watched as Lupin took Dumbledore aside and whisper something to him. I saw Dumbledore think for a moment before nodding. "There is nothing to worry about. Hogwarts is the safest place for you."

I sat back in my chair and folded my arms around myself. "Are you sure professor? After all… Sirius Black was able to come into the castle unnoticed. And besides… it will be fairly easy for my godfather to slip onto the grounds while everyone is in alert for Sirius."

Lupin raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. I looked at Dumbledore and saw a flash of annoyance cross his face. Dumbledore did not move as he addressed me. "You must not worry about that now. I believe dinner will be starting soon and you should make your way to the Great Hall."

I winced slightly and then nodded my goodbyes to Lupin and Dumbledore as I walked out of the office like a dog that was severely in trouble. I didn't mean to talk back to Dumbledore like I did but it was my life that was in danger. After what my godfather had did I did not want to take any more chances.

I walked into the Great Hall and saw that most of the students were already in the hall eating dinner. I saw Fred and George sitting across from Angelina. I made my way towards them. When I reached the table and sat down between Fred and George I was immediately bombarded with questions.

"There you are!" said Katie.

"Where did you go?" said George.

"Why did you leave so suddenly?" said Fred.

"Are you alright?" said Angelina.

"You look as if you have seen a ghost!" said Alicia.

"Can you pass the gravy?" said Lee.

I looked around the table and saw that they were all in silence waiting for me to answer. "Yes I here… sorry I had to see Professor Lupin… I needed to ask him something… I'm fine… I do feel a bit on edge… and here…" I said as I passed Lee the gravy.

"On edge?" said Angelina.

"What happened?" said Fred.

"Was it that letter you got earlier in the week?" said Alicia.

"Letter? What letter? You never told me about a letter." said Fred.

I took a sip of my pumpkin juice and then began to tell everyone about how I received a letter from my godfather telling me about how he recognized me at my father's funeral and how he was going to be with me soon enough. I then told them how I went to Lupin's office and talked with Dumbledore.

"Well what does he expect?" said George. "Sirius Black was able to get into the castle undetected!"

Angelina shook her head. "If Sirius can escape from Azkaban he can easily get into Hogwarts. Yaxley is a different story. He wouldn't have the knowledge to get into Hogwarts."

"Especially after Sirius came Hogwarts has been more secured. Dumbledore wont allow another slip up like that happen again." Said Alicia. She turned to Lee. "Can you pass the salt?"

I leaned my head against Fred's shoulder and sighed. I couldn't let it escape from my head that letter. Fred put his arm around my side. George immediately changed the subject from Sirius Black and Yaxley to the Ravenclaw game tomorrow. For the rest of dinner I was very distant from the conversation. I spent too much time worrying about my godfather. I kept scanning the room for any sign of him on the grounds.

After dinner the seven of us made our way back to the Gryffindor common room. We sat in front of the fire and continued to talk about the game tomorrow. After an hour or two people began to migrate to bed. Eventually Fred, George, and I remained sitting on the couch. George stood and looked down at us. "I'm going to head to bed. You coming Fred?"

Fred looked up at his brother. "I will be up in a bit."

George nodded and then looked at me. "Don't keep him up too long. Remember we do have a game tomorrow."

I chuckled slightly as Fred kicked his brother in the shin. George grinned and turned to run up the stairs. When George left the room I rested my head on Fred's lap and faced the fire. Fred ran his fingers through my hair gently. "You alright?"

I sighed and turned on my back and closed my eyes. "I am not sure…"

Fred brushed some hair off my face and caressed the side of my face. "Do you think he will come to Hogwarts?"

I shrugged and opened my eyes to look at the ceiling. "I'm not sure… I hope not."

Fred sat with me for a few minutes. He patted my shoulder. "Come on… let's head to bed."

As he started to stand I raised my hand and stopped him. "Can we just stay here for a bit longer?" Fred nodded and then sat down next to me. He fell back on the couch and situated me so I was lying on top of him. It didn't take long before the both of us drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I sat next to Leia and Lindsay the next day in the stadium. I looked out onto the field and saw the Ravenclaw team waiting in the middle of the field for the Gryffindor team to come out onto the field. Suddenly the stadium erupted into tremendous applause as the Gryffindor team walked onto the field. I looked down at Fred and saw him wink at me. Quickly, Madam Hooch walked onto the field.

"Wood, Davies, shake hands," said Madam Hooch. "Mount your brooms…on my whistle… three—two—one—"

I watched as the players soared into the air and began the game. I saw Katie grab possession of the ball and score a goal for Gryffindor. I then felt a blast of air as Fred flew by me to block a bludger heading towards Alicia. He yelled towards Harry. "Show her your acceleration Harry!" I saw that Harry had found the snitch and was soaring after it while Cho was trailing past him. Then a Bludger came pelting out of nowhere. The Bludger was hit by one of the Ravenclaw beaters. I watched as George then hit a Bludger directly at that Beater, who avoided it slightly.

Gryffindor was leading eighty points to thirty. Harry was accelerating closely towards the snitch when all of a sudden several students began to scream loudly. I looked up and saw three tall, black hooded dementors. Quickly I watched as Harry pulled out his wand and yelled, "Expecto patronum!" I watched as a silver-white stag flew out of the end of his wand causing the dementors to fly away. I saw Harry stretch out his hand and grab hold of the golden snitch. Suddenly the crowed roared.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and I immediately stood and ran towards the field with numerous Gryffindor supporters. I ran towards Fred as he ran towards me. I jumped into his arms as he brought me close for a kiss. When we pulled away I saw Lupin watching me with a small smile. I pulled away from Fred slightly in embarrassment. I had felt as if I was walked in on by my father. I saw Lupin raise and eyebrow before he walked towards Harry and led him away from the crowd. George immediately ran towards the both of us and brought us together in a tight hug. "We won!" He then yelled to the crowd. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

* * *

I sat on the couch next to Angelina, Alicia, and Katie as the party in the Gryffindor common room raged on all day and well into the night. Fred and George had disappeared for a couple of hours but then returned with armfuls of bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fizz, and several bags full of Honeydukes sweets.

"How did you do that?" squeeled Angelina as George started throwing Peppermint Toads into the crowd.

George plopped himself beside Angelina and smiled. "Oh a little help from the marauders." He looked around the room before quickly handing Angelina a flask. "Firewhiskey… drink up!"

I smiled as Fred sat down by my feet. He handed me some Chocolate frogs and kissed my knee lightly. I watched as the bottle of firewhiskey was passed around the Gryffindor team. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Katie and Oliver sitting closely together. Oliver whispered something into her ear as she laughed and took another swig of the firewhiskey. After a couple more hours of partying Professor McGonagall turned up in the common room around one in the morning and insisted that we all go to bed.

Slowly everyone began walking up the steps. I saw Lindsay snoring lightly on a chair in the corner of the room while I saw Leia sitting on the lap of a sixth year Gryffindor. I knew that I would be sleeping alone for the night. As I walked up the stairs I heard Fred run up behind me. I walked into my room as Fred stood in the doorway. He smiled as turned to face him. "Big room… looks like you'll be alone."

I looked at Fred. He came close towards me and started to kiss my neck. I felt my body shudder with goosebumps. Fred had a lot of firewhiskey and I could taste it on his breath with every kiss he gave me. I pulled away slightly and giggled. "Fred… you're drunk."

He smiled as he unbuttoned my shirt playfully. "Only a little… let me sleep with you tonight."

I shook my head as I licked my lower lip. "Tempting… very tempting… but I'd rather have you when you're more up to it."

I pulled me close to him and grabbed my hand and pushed it down to feel the bulge in his pants. "I'm definitely up to it…"

I laughed as I pushed him out of the room. "Goodnight Fred." He gave me a big puppy dog look on his face. I leaned towards his ear and whispered, "Who knows… maybe you'll get a visitor in the night…"

Fred growled hungrily as he tried to lunge towards me but was stopped when I quickly closed the door.

* * *

I sat up in my bed and saw that I was all alone. I suddenly heard the door open slightly. I turned and saw Fred walk into my room. He was bare-chested and only wearing plaid pajama bottoms. Before I could say anything Fred came towards me and pressed his body on top of mine. He kissed me hungrily as his hands explored my body. I pulled back from the kiss only to pull off my nightshirt. He ripped off my bra and hungrily suckled on my nipple. My back arched as I moaned in pleasure. I sat up and pushed Fred onto his back. I quickly pulled off his pants and gazed at his naked body.

He sat up and I saw fire in his eyes. He grabbed me and pushed me so I was facing the wall and he was behind me. With one quick and hard thrust he entered me from behind. I gasped in pleasure as he thrust himself in and out of me. I moaned loudly as I reached my peak. My body tingled as I felt Fred thrust one last time into me. He then fell onto me, breathing heavily. I rolled onto my back and curled up to his side. He looked down at me and kissed me softly. I looked into his eyes and smiled. "I love you Fred…" He looked down at me and kissed me again. Then he opened his mouth and began to scream loudly.

I shot up from my bed in a cold sweat. I looked around my room and saw that I was all alone and realized that I had been dreaming. Fred never came into my room. As I went to lay back down I heard screaming again. I sat up sharply and looked towards the door. It sounded as if the scream was coming from the boy's dormitory. I quickly stood and walked towards the door. Before I could open the door I felt someone grab me from behind and put their hand around my mouth before I could scream.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
I'm evil and I know it… MWUAHAHAHAHAHA! Reviews!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	26. The Bedroom

_Disclaimer__: Anything that sounds familiar is… meaning that a few lines are not my own. I also should have put that up in the last chapter as well! Anyways enjoy…))_

**Chapter 26** – The Bedroom

Fred walked down the stairs with George trailing right behind them. Fred walked into the common room and saw a few Gryffindor students standing around. "Excellent, are we carrying on?" said Fred.

As they reached the bottom of the steps they heard some mumbling coming from behind them. The twins turned and saw Oliver and Katie walking down the stairs side by side. Oliver had only a pair of boxers on while Katie had her nightgown on backwards. 

Angelina's jaw dropped as Alicia giggled loudly. "Nice fashion statement…" said Angelina as Katie looked down and saw that in a frantic rush to put on her clothes she had put them on backwards. Katie blushed immediately and hid slightly behind Oliver.

Percy suddenly came running into the room. "Everyone back upstairs!"

Ron ran towards Percy. "Perce—Sirius Black! In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!"

Fred, George, and the rest of the students stood in silence. Angelina gasped quietly and George put his arm around her shoulder. Katie held onto Oliver's hand as he looked at Percy. Fred looked around the room and saw that Ava was not in the room. _How could she sleep during this?_ He asked himself.

Soon Professor McGonagall came into the room. Ron tried to explain to her what had happened and Professor McGonagall just stared at Ron. "Don't be ridiculous, Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?"

"Ask him!" Ron pointed towards the portrait of Sir Cadogan. Fred and George watched as McGonagall pushed the portrait back open and went outside. They could faintly hear what was happening outside. 

Suddenly Professor McGonagall walked inside and yelled. "Which person… which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" Fred shook his head as he saw Neville raise his hand in shame.

The students in the Gryffindor tower didn't sleep that night. The whole house sat in the common room waiting to hear whether Sirius Black had been caught. Fred sat next to George and kept looking around. "Did Ava ever come down?"

George thought and looked around. "I haven't seen her… maybe she's still sleeping?"

Fred turned and looked behind him. He saw Leia sitting next to a sixth year Gryffindor. "Hey have you seen Ava?"

Leia shook her head. "I haven't been to the room yet." Fred looked at Lindsay who was sitting by the fire. She shook her head no and Fred started to become worried. George saw the worried look on his brother's face and patted his back.

Fred stood from his place on the couch. "I'm going to go check on her." George nodded as he watched his brother walk up the stairs towards the girl's dormitory. As Fred walked up the stairs he could hear voices coming from behind Ava's door. He pressed his ear up the wall. As he got closer he caused a floorboard to squeak. Suddenly the voices stopped. After a few moments of waiting for any sound Fred spoke. "Ava?"

Fred heard rustling from behind the door but he could not tell what was going on behind the door. He knocked on the door. "Ava? Are you there?"

He heard some more rustling and then he heard Ava speak. "I'm here…"

Fred pressed his ear back up against the door. "Why don't you come out? Everyone is in the common room." 

"I'm tired… I think I'm just going to go back to sleep." Her voice had grown shakier.

Fred put his hand on the doorknob and tried to open it. The door however was locked. "Want me to join you?" He said playfully. As Fred listened carefully he could hear a man's voice mumble something. Fred took a step back and decided not to take any chances. 

He backed up from the door and then rammed his body against the door. The door cracked slightly but didn't open. He ran back and rammed into the door a second time. The third time he rammed his body into the wall the door broke free and Fred came toppling down onto the floor in the girl's dormitory. When he looked up he saw Ava lying in the corner of her room and the window was wide open. When he crawled to her he saw that her body was shaking and her eyes were filled with tears.

* * *

I shot up from my bed in a cold sweat. I looked around my room and saw that I was all alone and realized that I had been dreaming. Fred never came into my room. As I went to lay back down I heard screaming again. I sat up sharply and looked towards the door. It sounded as if the scream was coming from the boy's dormitory. I quickly stood and walked towards the door. Before I could open the door I felt someone grab me from behind and put their hand around my mouth before I could scream.

I felt someone breathe heavily against my ear and whisper lightly. "Shh… It's alright." My body immediately fell weak and my heart started to ache. I turned my body around slowly and locked my gaze with the man who haunted my dreams. I saw my godfather smile as he wrapped his arms around me in an embrace. "There, there… I told you we would be together soon."

I felt my body become limp with terror. I could do nothing but weep silently as I shook my head. I saw my godfather hold his wand in front of my face and light the tip of his wand. He brushed a stand of hair from my face, his hand never moving from my mouth. He ran his wand down the side of my face. "I can't have you screaming now can I? Don't worry… this wont hurt a bit." He took his hand from my mouth and pointed his wand at me. "_Silencio_!"

I opened my mouth to scream but let out no sound. I backed away from my godfather and turned for the door. Before I could turn the knob I felt ropes whip around my body to bind me. I fell to the ground and felt my body being pulled towards the middle of the room. I looked and saw that my godfather had incanted a spell causing him to rope me like cattle. He chuckled lightly. "You've got heart… just like your mother."

He took off his cloak and knelt by my legs. He ran a finger up my calf and smirked. "You may be wondering how I got into the castle…"

I did not move. My eyes stayed fixed on him. He ran his finger along my knee. "I knew Sirius Black was in the castle. Thanks to his stupidity… he provided a brilliant distraction for me to take you." He leaned forward and ran his finger up my nightshirt. My skin burned with every touch. He kissed my neck and I felt as if I was going to vomit. "Now I have you for myself… I've always thought your mother was beautiful but you surpass her beauty. Ever since I picked you up from the station…" He ran his tongue down my neck as he feathered his fingers along my inner thigh. "I've been dreaming about you. Now that your father is gone… I can have you for my own." He trailed his tongue along my cheek and then locked his lips with mine. I could feel him force his tongue into my mouth.

I immediately felt a surge of adrenaline flow through my body. I raised my legs and jabbed him in his stomach. He fell backwards as he grunted loudly. I felt the ties around me loosen. I pulled the ropes off of me as I kicked him in his stomach as he tried to get to his hands and knees. He fell backwards and groaned again. I ran towards the door when I heard the sound of a floorboard creaking. Then I heard Fred's voice on the other side of the door. "Ava?"

I tried to call out to Fred but I was unable to make a sound. I had forgotten that he put the silencio charm on me and I was unable to say anything. I felt my godfather grab me from behind and whisper into my ear. "I recognize that voice…" My eyes closed slowly and my head lowered. "_Please Fred… just go away_." I thought to myself. My godfather looked at me and then pointed his wand to the door. "Ah… this must be that boy I saw at the train station..."

I heard Fred knock on the door and then speak again. "Ava? Are you there?"

I saw my godfather wave his wand in front of me. "Answer him… if you say anything funny I will kill him."

I opened my eyes and looked towards the door and spoke shakily. "I'm here…"

"Why don't you come out? Everyone is in the common room." 

"I'm tired… I think I'm just going to go back to sleep." My voice cracked as I desperately tried to find the right words to say.

Fred put his hand on the doorknob and tried to open it. The door however was locked. "Want me to join you?" he said playfully.

I felt my godfather hold onto my tightly as he backed towards the window. "Join you?" He bit my earlobe hard. "That saddens me that someone has been with you before me."

I suddenly heard Fred slam his body against the door. My godfather quickly opened the window. I then turned and faced my godfather. I punched him hard in the face causing him to fall back against the window. I heard Fred slam into the door again. My godfather then took his hand and smacked me hard against my face causing me to fall to the ground in pain. He walked towards me with fire in his eyes. He raised his hand to strike me again but saw Fred slam into the door and burst into the room. My godfather turned and transformed himself into the weathered looking horned owl that delivered me the letter. My eyes widened as I saw that he was an Animagus. _That's how he was able to get inside the castle_. Just as quickly as he turned into the owl he quickly flew out of the window.

I looked towards Fred and saw him crawl towards me and pulled me into his arms. I started to sob quietly as Fred held on to me tightly. I heard George run into the room and kneel beside me. He looked to his brother. "What happened?"

Fred looked up at his brother. "Go get McGonagall quickly! Someone was in here." 

I shook my head and cried loudly. "No get Lupin… my godfather… I can't be here anymore."

George ran out of the room to get help. Fred started to rock me back and forth. After a while I started to fade in and out of consciousness. Within a few minutes I heard Lupin run into the room. Fred moved and allowed Lupin to gather me into his arms. "Are you alright? I'm here." I heard Professor McGonagall walk into the room. She walked towards us and knelt down.

"Let's get her out of here." I closed my eyes as I felt her help me to my feet as Lupin put his arms around me to help me walk. Before I made it to the bottom of the steps my body went limp and I found myself falling backwards into darkness.

* * *

Dear Readers,  
I know this chapter was short (and I borrowed a few lines from the book). I wanted you to get where this takes place in the story. Anyways PLEASE review… Reviews make me want to write stories instead of doing my homework (so what's more important? ...me writing an amazing chapter?... or me writing a boring essay for my Ancient Rome class?) Just something to think about... ;) Thank you to those who have been reviewing every chapter! I love you guys :)

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie 


	27. The Decision

Chapter 27 –

**Chapter 27** – The Decision

I opened my eyes and looked around the room. I saw that I was in a room filled with numerous books. Periodically I would see a book fly across the room into a new spot on the bookshelf. I sat up slowly and saw that I was lying in a bed that had a plaid down blanket. I heard heavy breathing beside me on the floor. I looked over the edge of the bed and saw a black dog lying on the ground sleeping peacefully. It was the same dog I had seen in Lupin's office a while back. I could hear noises coming through the other side of the door. Suddenly the door opened and I watched Lupin walk into the room with a tray of food in his hands. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Ah you're awake… I've brought you breakfast from the great hall." He sat the tray down on my lap and then walked over to a chair next to the bed and sat. "Eat," he said. "It will make you feel better."

I placed a napkin on my lap and buttered a piece of toast and began to eat. Lupin sat and watched me intently, not saying a word until I had finished eating. I watched as the dog beside me get up slowly and walk over to Lupin and sat down beside him. When I ate the last bit of eggs on my plate I set down my fork and Lupin came and pulled the tray off my lap. Before I could say anything Lupin spoke. "After speaking with Dumbledore we have decided that you are not to be alone while you're here at Hogwarts. With your recent attack your friends have been more than willing to keep a close watch with you."

"Have they found him?" I asked cautiously. My heart sank when I saw Lupin shake his head.

"They have not and I doubt that we will. I do not think he will be a threat to you anytime soon. The school is on alert for numerous reasons," he looked down at the dog sitting next to him and then back at me. "And coming after you at this time would be unwise on his part." I watched as a book quickly fly from one bookshelf to the other across the room.

I leaned back against the headboard and put my head in my hands. Everything that had happened to me this year was immensely overwhelming. Not only has my life been turned upside down but my friends have been on this rollercoaster with me as well. "Are there any other options? I do not want to put any of my friends in danger."

Lupin looked at me. I could see the thoughts flashing through his eyes. I looked to the dog next to him and heard him grunt lightly. He nudged his nose against Lupin's hand and looked up at him. Lupin sighed and looked down. "There is another option. I do not think this option would be necessary but it is another option."

"What is it?" I began to worry slightly as I saw the look of defeat in his eyes.

"Dumbledore has spoken with the headmistress at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and she has agreed to let you finish off your schooling there."

"Transfer me?" I shook my head. "Aren't there any other options? My whole life is here at Hogwarts. I will lose my friends… my family."

Lupin stood. "I know and I am sorry. Those are the only options that are available to us at the moment. No matter what you choose I will be there for you." And with that he turned and walked out of the room.

--

Lee, Fred and George sat in their dormitory going over their latest inventions. George looked at his brother and shook his head. "Relax… she's with Lupin. She'll be fine." Fred remained silent and kept his attention on the Ton-Tongue Toffee in his hand. The twins heard a knock on the door and within a few seconds Alicia, Katie, and Angelina came into the room.

Angelina sat on the floor at the foot of Fred's bed while Alicia jumped on the bed next to George. Katie and Angelina looked at Alicia and smirked. Alicia blushed slightly as George sat up and brushed his leg against hers accidentally. "Ava is back."

Fred immediately looked up. "Where is she? I should go see her."

Angelina shook her head. "Give her some space right now. She said she would see us in a few. She just wants some time to herself right now."

Fred furrowed his brow. "How is she?"

"She's physically fine but she just… she has a lot on her mind right now." Angelina lowered her head slightly. Fred looked at Angelina in confusion. He knew that she was keeping something from him but he could not pick out what it was. He decided to let it go for the time being. He was just happy to know that she was okay.

"Did you see the look on Neville's face when he received that howler?" said Alicia.

George nodded. "It was classic."

"I felt bad for Neville! He opened it in the middle of the great hall!" Alicia squealed. "I would die if that happened to me!"

George shook his head. "Ol' Ronniekins got one last year and he is still living! Honestly Alicia it was not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be."

Alicia lowered her head in embarrassment and looked towards Angelina and Katie for help in changing the subject. Angelina decided to help her out. "I have a date this weekend…"

George looked at Angelina quickly and then looked away. "Who is it this time?" said Lee.

Angelina smiled lightly. "He's a seventh year from Ravenclaw. His name is Connor Davenport."

"Connor?! That pompous ass?" Said Fred in a shocked tone. "I'm surprised he even got into Ravenclaw. He is not the brightest crayon in the box." Angelina shook her head.

"Well we don't talk much." Angelina smiled at Katie and Alicia. Fred looked to his brother George and shrugged. George sighed and fell back against his headboard. Before anyone could respond they heard a light knock on the door. The door opened slowly and Ava walked in.

Ava walked into the room and saw everyone change their expressions from pleasure to fret. Fred wasted no time in walking anxiously towards her and taking her into a warm embrace. "I was so worried about you."

"Yeah Ava. But do not worry because Lupin talked to us and we have all agreed to be with you twenty-four seven." Said George. The rest of the room nodded and spoke in agreement.

Fred saw Ava bite her lower lip and pulled away from him slowly. "Thank you everyone. I really appreciate it." He could see the worried look in her eyes.

Fred smiled and ran his finger down the side of her cheek softly. "We love you and would do anything for you. You mean a lot to us." Ava looked down at the floor and Fred began to worry. She was holding back something and he looked at Angelina. He looked towards her and saw her looking down at the floor. Katie put her hand on Angelina's back and kept looking at Ava. Fred looked back at Ava. "What is it?"

She broke eye contact from Fred and looked down at the floor before she spoke. "I love you… all of you. I know you will do anything for me. You mean a lot to me as I mean to you." She looked up at Fred and he saw a tear fall down her face. "And I can't put you all in danger. I have spoken with Dumbledore and I will be leaving for Beauxbatons at the end of the week."

--

Dear Readers,

SORRY, SORRY, SORRY!! I didn't want to wait this long for an update. I have been swamped with midterms and essays from all my classes due to Spring Break and then I had a hard time getting back into the groove because I was having a horrible case of writer's block. But I'm on it now so I finally had time to write this chapter. Anyways Review! I love getting them.

x.o.x.o

Tinkie


	28. Tearful Goodbye

**Chapter 28** – Tearful Goodbye

I looked down as I felt Fred take a step back from me. As I waited for the Fred to say something I felt more tears fall down my cheeks. After a few moments George was the one to break the silence.

"You're leaving?"

I nodded and continued to look down at the floor.

"Isn't that a little rash?" said Lee.

"I agree. I think you will be making a huge mistake if you leave," said Alicia.

I looked up at Fred and winced when I saw his expression. He looked defeated and his eyes were a bit glossed over. He just looked at me and shook his head slowly. "You can't leave."

I nodded and took a step towards him. I winced when I saw Fred take another step away from me. "I'm sorry. I do not want to leave but I think it is the best. I don't think that going to another school will keep me safe from my godfather but I do know that leaving will keep all of you from any danger."

Fred did not respond to me. He immediately turned and walked out of the room…slamming the door in the process. I turned towards the rest of the group. I saw the hurt expressions on all their faces. I looked at Angelina and saw that she was not looking at me. I told her my decision earlier and she did not take the news well. "Please don't hate me."

George shook his head. "We don't hate you. We just don't think you are making the right decision."

* * *

It had not taken me very long to have all my things packed and ready to go. For the rest of the week I had spent most of my time alone. My friends were on minimal speaking terms with me whereas Fred was not speaking to me at all. I had not seen him at dinner or the common room. I wanted to speak with Fred before I left. I walked up to the boys' dormitory and knocked on Fred, George, and Lee's room. George opened the door and smiled slightly. "Hey Ava… you packed?"

I nodded. "Yeah I'm done. Is Fred in there?"

George shook his head. "No he isn't actually. I haven't seen him since the morning."

"Do you know where he is? I would really like to talk to him."

George looked down at me and then walked to his nightstand. He opened a drawer and handed me the Marauder's map. "You know what to do."

* * *

I followed the map until I was at the top of the hill. I looked at the edge of the cliff and I saw Fred sitting there in silence as he stared out to the lake. I smiled slightly as I remembered the last time Fred and I were here. Then I frowned once more when I remembered that that was the day we found Lupin in the woods. I walked towards Fred and sat down next to him. Fred did not acknowledge my presence as I looked out into the distance. After a few minutes Fred got up and started to walk away. I turned and called out to him. "Fred… please don't leave me."

He stopped and turned his head and looked down. "I'm not the one leaving. You are."

I stood and walked towards him. "Please understand why I am doing this."

"I understand plenty. I know you're not running away from your godfather."

I shook my head. "I am not run…."

Fred looked up at me with hate in his eyes. "Yes you are! You are running away and making a huge mistake. You're not running because you are scared of Yaxley. You are running because you are afraid of being alone."

I looked at Fred in confusion. "That makes no sense Fred. Going to Beauxbatons will make me more alone than I already am!"

Fred shook his head as he took a step towards me. "You think you know what is best for us but you are not thinking about what is best for you! You are too fucking afraid of losing us that you are willing to forgo your own happiness!" Fred walked up to me and put his arms around me. "Be with me Ava…I will take care of you and make sure nothing happens to you. Just give me the chance!"

I shook my head and looked up. "I'm sorry Fred."

"Do you love me?" said Fred.

I let out a quiet sob as more tears began to fall down my face. Fred asked me again. "Do you love me?" I still did not respond. "God damnit Ava it's not a hard question to answer! Do you love me or not?!"

"I'm doing what is right for the both of us."

Fred stepped away from me and shook his head. "You just can't say it can you…" Fred turned from me and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Suddenly he screamed loudly causing birds to fly out of the trees.

"Fred…"

He started to walk away. I ran towards him and put my hand on his arm. He yanked his hand away and turned and pointed at me. "Get your hands off me! You want to leave then leave! I'm through." Fred turned and walked away. I sat down where I stood and put my face into my hands and sobbed.

* * *

Outside in the outskirts of the forest I was there with Dumbledore, Lupin, and Angelina. I looked at my new Beauxbaton's uniform. I looked up at Professor Dumbledore. "Thank you for arranging this for me professor."

He nodded. "I am very saddened that you made this decision. Hogwarts is still an option."

I shook my head. "I know professor. But I think it is better this way." I looked up in the sky as I saw a small powder blue carriage drawn by two white Abraxans fly overhead before landing a few yards in front of us.

I turned and looked at Angelina when I saw her sob lightly. I walked to her and the two of us embraced each other tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much Angie…"

"Don't go Ava… please stay…"

I shook my head as I continued to hug her. "I promise to write." After a few moments I pulled away from Angelina and turned towards Lupin. He smiled slightly and gave me a piece of paper.

"That is my address... and uh…" I looked up at him as I took the paper from his hand. He looked away. "During breaks you will need a place to stay. So I just wanted…"

I looked down at the paper and back at Lupin. "I would like that… I would love to stay with you."

I smiled slightly and then turned towards Angelina. "Have you talked to Fred?"

Angelina paused for a moment before shaking her head. "I haven't talked to him. I told George you were leaving and where we were and he said he was going to tell Fred."

I sighed and turned towards the carriage. "I figured as much that he wouldn't come. I really blew it between us." I walked up to the carriage and the door opened. Suddenly a large woman stepped out of the carriage. I watched as Dumbledore walked up to her and kissed her hand. As the two of them conversed I turned and looked at Angelina and Lupin.

Angelina crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Promise not to forget us?"

I nodded and smiled sadly. "I promise." I slowly turned and stepped up into the carriage. Madame Maxime stepped into the carriage after me and sat down across from me. As the carriage lifted off the ground I looked out the window. I saw Lupin place his arms around Angelina as I saw her cry. I then gazed out towards Hogwarts. I was really going to miss this place and the people there. _Am I really making the right decision?_ As I looked back towards Angelina the last thing I saw was Fred running in the distance waving frantically in the air as the carriage bolted away from Hogwarts.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Yeah I know I know... bad me bad me. You thought I would NEVER update this did you?

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie

* * *


	29. Beauxbatons

**Chapter 29** – Beauxbatons

When I arrived at the school it was after hours and most of the students were in their beds. Madame Maxime quickly led me into her office. When I walked in the room I was overwhelmed with the smell of a strong floral perfume. After getting past the smell I looked around and was caught off guard. The room looked more like a powder room than an actual office. The walls were a deep maroon color and there was soft lighting all around that was provided by the luxurious wall sconces that were mounted on the walls. Also on the walls were beautiful Victorian paintings on the walls. In one painting there was a couple sitting in a meadow kissing each other gently. The other painting was a woman sitting on a bed playing with her hair. I looked up towards the ceiling and I saw white crown molding. The part of the room that awed me the most was the huge crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. It was the kind of thing that you would see in an opera house and not in an office. The only thing that was remotely like an office was the large white desk in the middle of the room.

I closed the door behind me and sat down in a white chaise lounge that was against the wall. I took off my hat and set it on my lap. Madame Maxime took off her coat and then went to her desk. She picked up a few pieces of papers and handed them to me.

"'eer we are! 'eer is your schedule for the remainder of ze term. Professor Dumbly-dorr and I arranged for you to 'ave zee same classes as you did at 'Ogwarts," said Madame Maxime in a deep voice. "And ze Ministry advises that you go by a different name 'eer. Ze school knows you as Clarice Dumont. Zey 'ave been very excited about your arrival."

I took the papers into my hand and looked them over. She was right. I have the same classes as I did at Hogwarts. The other papers were a map of the school and a map of the dormitory. I still could not believe that I was here. Also I would not be known as Ava Johnson anymore. I completely lost my identity. If I have to change my name what else did I have to give up? _Did I really make the right choice?_

"Iz zer somezing wrong?" Madame Maxime walked towards me and sat down at the edge of the chaise. "It iz still not too late to go back."

I shook my head. "No I… I am fine. I am just taking all this in actually." I looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I will be fine. I think I am just tired and should head to bed."

Madame Maxime nodded and stood. "Good! I 'ave arranged for you to be taken to you room by your roommate." She walked over to her desk and picked up a bell. She shook it three times and then set it back down. Almost immediately after the third ring the door opened and a girl walked in. "Clarice… this iz your roommate Mademoiselle Moreau."

Isabella smiled and curtsied. I smiled and bowed my head to her. She was of an olive complexion and her hair fell down in waves all the way down to her mid back. She was very beautiful and different than many of the girls at Hogwarts. She carried herself with a different grace and elegance that many of the Hogwarts students did not possess.

"_Bonjour Mademoiselle… je m'appelle Isabella et je suis très heureux de vous avoir ici!_" I looked at her in confusion and she laughed lightly. "I am sorry… I 'ave forgotten you are not from 'eer. My name iz Isabella and I am 'appy to 'ave you as my roommate!"

"Umm… _Merci_ _beaucoup_." I turned towards Madame Maxime and lowered my head and curtsied to her. I followed Isabella out of the room and down the hall towards the dormitory.

" 'Ow do you like ze Palace?" said Isabella as she walked down the hall. Correction… she did not walk but she floated across the floor.

"Palace?" I asked in confusion.

She giggled and ran her fingers through her hair. "_Oui_ ze Palace of Beauxbatons! Zis iz your first time here no?" I nodded as I continued to look around the halls. "'Ow come you no go to 'Ogwarts? Aren't you from England?"

I nodded again. "My umm… my father decided that it would be best for me to come here instead of there. He is a teacher there." She smiled and continued to float down the hall.

"You will find zat it iz very different zan 'Ogwarts! I 'ave been zer once. We 'ave none of zat ugly armor and no poltergeists floating through ze 'alls! At dinner we 'ave choirs of wood nymphs zat serenade us as we eat. And at Christmas… _très jolie!_"

I smiled as I listened to Isabella go on and on about the school and about how beautiful it is and about all my teachers that I have this year. I tried my hardest to keep up with her but he heavy accent prevented me from completely following. I think I should ask for a French Dictionary for my birthday. _My birthday?_ My birthday was coming up and it suddenly hit me. I had no family at all to spend it with. I still cannot believe that Anthony is gone. So much has changed this year. If my mother had not died none of this would have happened. Maybe I would have been happier and not in a foreign country. _Maybe my father should have saved my mother instead of me…_

"'Eer we are! Welcome 'ome!" Isabella opened the door to my new bedroom for the remainder of the term.

* * *

"Ava! Ava stop!" Fred ran towards the carriage as he saw it take off into the air. _Shit…shit...shit! Please let me not be too late!_ Fred ran into the clearing and waved his hands frantically into the air. "AVA!"

Angelina ran towards Fred and pulled him back by his shoulders. "She's gone."

Fred fell to the ground and put his hands on his head. He looked up into the sky and screamed. "Fuck!" Angelina knelt on the ground beside him and ran her hand down his back. Dumbledore and Professor Lupin turned and left the two of them alone. Fred tugged on his hair as he breathed heavily. "I didn't get to say goodbye…I was a totally asshole to her. It's my fault…"

Angelina shook her head. "No it isn't Fred. It's not your fault that Ava left. She left all of us and abandoned us all. You're not the only one who is upset."

"I lost her Angel…"

Angelina sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "If she cares… and I know she does… she will come back."

Fred lowered his head and looked at the ground. He watched as a single tear fell from his cheek and down to the ground.

* * *

The rest of the term went by quickly and before I had realized it was the end of the term. At Beauxbatons I was like a ghost in passing. I went to all my classes and paid more attention to my studies than the other students at school.

My potions class was very different than at Hogwarts. Instead of Professor Snape we had the complete opposite. Madame Beauchamp was a tall woman who was part Veela. She had long blonde hair and if it were not for the fine wrinkles on the corners of her eyes I would have thought her to be a student. The boys in the class I found were unable to not be captivated by her beauty.

There was however one boy who seemed to have not taken a liking to her. His name was Marcell. He was from northern France and he and I became pretty close friends in class. He was my partner for most of the lab exercises. Although I found myself staying away from many of the boys at the school I enjoyed spending time with Marcell. He was very different than Fred and Oliver. I got the impression that he enjoyed spending time with me and not because he was interested in anything more. He looked completely different than them. He was only a little bit taller than me and very slender. His hair was brown and fell just below his ears. He was very handsome and I had always caught many of the girls gawking over him in my classes.

"Can you pass me za belladonna?" said Marcell as he was putting wormwood into the pot.

"Here you go." I handed him the plant and then looked at the potions book. "After you add that the potion should turn a florescent purple."

Marcell nodded and added the last of the ingredients and stirred the potion. After he stirred the potion for a minute the potion started to turn a very bright purple. I smiled at Marcell and he grinned widely. "We make a great team!"

Madame Beauchamp walked over to our table. She looked down at out potion and smiled. "Brilliant!" She turned and spoke to the class. "Zee 'ere everyone! Monsieur Delauer and Mademoiselle Dumont 'ave perfected zee beautifying potion! _C'est magnifique_!" She turned towards us and clapped her hands.

I blushed as Marcell patted me on the back in delight. As the class finished I packed up my things and walked to the dining hall with Marcell. "You are a wonderful partner! I 'ave yet to get a potion wrong since you came 'ere."

I smiled. "Well you're pretty good yourself." As we walked by a group of girls they stopped talking and smiled towards Marcell and as always Marcell did not acknowledge their presence. I never understood why he never went for any of the other girls at the school. "Mariella just winked at you."

Marcell back at her and shook his head. "She iz not my type…" He looked at me and smiled and led me to our table. I saw that Isabella was already there waiting for us.

"There you are! I 'ave been waiting for you!" I sat down next to her as Marcell sat on the other side of me. As dinner progressed the three of us began talking about our summer plans. Isabella, as always, was talking up a storm about her plans. "Well I am going to za Riviera with my family an' zen we are going to ze Opera in ze Americas. 'Ow about you Marcell?" I did not miss Isabella batting her eyes slightly as she turned towards Marcell.

"Well actually my family iz going to ze World Cup. We 'ave box seats." I looked at Marcell and scoffed.

"Really? I am so jealous!" I remember Fred and George talking about the cup a while ago and how they hoped Ireland would be in it. As I thought of Fred I sighed. I have not talked to him since that day on the cliff. Lupin sent me a letter saying that he sent me a few letters but I told Lupin to get rid of them. I did not want to read about Fred hating me for leaving. As well as not talking to Fred I have not talked to Angelina either. I do not know why I have been avoiding talking to her. I just cannot bring myself up to talk to her. I regret leaving but there is nothing I can do about it now. I looked up at Marcell and he frowned.

"You look sad. I deedn't know zat you wanted to go to the cup so much. But don't worry. I was going to invite you and your family to come! I asked my father last week and he said zat he did not mind if I bring someone with me."

I smiled widely. "Really? You would like me to go?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Isabella flinch slightly but she kept her smile on her face. I knew she would have wanted to go with Marcell to the Quidditch world cup. "Can Isabella come too?" Isabella smiled widely as she looked at Marcell.

Marcell looked to her and then back at me. He smiled and then nodded. "But of course! So will you come Clarice?" He took my hand in his and made a sad face. I laughed and put my hand on his.

"I would love to. I just have to ask my uhh… I have to ask Lupin if I can come. I pretty sure he'll say yes." I still was not sure want to call him. I just was not ready to call him father. When I wrote him letters I found that I would not address him but instead I would just start the letter. I did enjoy the letters I received from him though. Every week he would put in a new picture of my mother and I with a small fact that he loved about my mother. I kept all the pictures he gave me in a photo album that I kept under my pillow. Every night before I went to bed I would look through the pictures and imagine a world where my mother was around.

"Zis Lupin… 'e is your father no?" said Isabella as she took a sip of her tea.

"Yeah he is." I looked down at my plate. Isabella had always been curious about why I came to school here instead of going to Hogwarts. No matter what I had told her she had always gotten the impression that I had not been telling the complete truth.

"'Ow are ze boys in England? I 'ere zey are very different zan ze boys 'ere."

I nodded. "Yes… they are very different." I stared into my soup and my shoulders fell slightly.

Marcell moved closer to me. "_Oui_ but ze boys 'ere aren't zat bad." He looked around the hall. "'Ave none of ze boys caught your attention? Or 'ave you someone?"

I shook my head. "No… and… no. I do not have anyone." The wood nymphs stopped singing and a few students clapped lightly. I stood up from my seat. "I must stop by the library before I head back to bed. I will see you all at finals." Before they could say anything I quickly walked out of the hall and into the library. I walked to the far corner of the library and sat down at a desk that was unoccupied. I sat down and put my bad on the table. I opened it and looked for the letter I had received from Lupin earlier that morning.

_Ava,_

_Thank you for your last letter. I am glad that you enjoyed that last picture I had sent you. It thrills me that they make you happy. Things are going well at Hogwarts. Everything has calmed down at Hogwarts. Sirius Black is no longer a threat here at Hogwarts. In fact he never was. It is a long story but Hogwarts is a lot safer now._

_Angelina asked about you again in class today. She really misses you and says she would like to speak with you. I told her that I would pass on her message. I am not going to tell you that you need to write to her. I feel that you are grown enough to make your own decisions. Just remember that the longer you wait the harder it is to keep your relationships._

_Lastly I wanted to let you know that I resigned as Defense Against the Dark Arts position today. I think it would be best to tell you why when you return for the summer. As for the summer I have enclosed a new address that I will be at. I will explain all when I come to pick you up from your last day of schooling._

_Enclosed, if you have not already guessed, I put another picture of you and your mother._

_Lupin_

I picked up the photo that was enclosed in the letter. My eyes watered slightly. The picture was a photo of my mother and I in the hospital I was born at. I was a newborn baby and my mother was sleeping soundly with me lying in the bed next to her. I turned the picture over and read the message on the back.

_I was there since the beginning and I will always be. Do not forget that._

I looked back at the picture and tears formed in my eyes. I wonder if my mother knew he was there?

* * *

Last day of school…. I stood outside Beauxbatons as I watched the numerous students embrace their parents as they went off to their vacations. I looked at my watch. It was five after and I could not see Lupin anywhere. As I sat and waited for Lupin to pick me up I thought about the first day of the semester. I was standing in the station waiting for Anthony to say goodbye to me. He never came that day. My father never bid me goodbye at all since I went to Hogwarts. He was never there to pick me up either. I had always gone to and from Kings Cross with my aunt and uncle. I felt numb inside. I hoped they were not upset with me for leaving Hogwarts. I really did miss them… "Clarice!"

I looked up in the distance and saw Lupin running towards me with a smile on his face. He walked up to me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Sorry I was late. I thought you had gotten out of school at a later time. Have you got everything?"

I looked down at my suitcase and then back up at Lupin. "I think so."

He smiled and picked up my bag. "Good… let's go." I smiled as I followed Lupin away from Beauxbatons. I saw Isabella and Marcell talking a few feet away. They smiled and waved at me as I walked past them. I was excited about going to the Quidditch world cup in a couple months.

After a quick train ride we eventually got to the northern port in France. The whole train ride Lupin listened to me speak about Beauxbatons and Marcell and Isabella. I had asked Lupin if it was all right if I went to the Quidditch world cup and of course he agreed. When we exited the train Lupin and I walked onto the ship that was to take us from France to Great Britain. We walked on board and made our way into our small cabin. After we had gotten comfortable and relaxed Lupin cleared his throat.

"Ava… there is something that I have been meaning to tell you for some time now."

I looked up at him. "What is it? Is it about why you quit?"

He nodded and then looked out the window. I looked out the window and saw that we were pulling away from the dock and heading out towards England. "I do not know how to really say this… I have been meaning to tell you this for some time."

"What is it?" I began to worry. I saw the pained expression on his face.

"Remember when you and Mr. Weasley found me in the woods that day?"

I nodded. "Yes I remember…" How could I forget? That was the day where I had found out that he was my father. "What happened to you? Did you get attacked? Are you leaving because you are in danger?"

He shook his head. "I am not in danger… everyone else is."

I looked at him in confusion. "What are you saying? I thought you said Sirius Black is not a threat anymore…"

"He isn't… I am the threat…"

I sat back in my seat. "What do you mean…"

"Do you remember that lecture Professor Snape gave the class after I had left?"

I looked at him and searched through my memory. I tried desperately to remember that day. Proessor Snape walked into the room… he closed all the windows… he presented a presentation… I looked up at Lupin in horror. "You're… you're not…"

He nodded. "I am… I am a werewolf."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Oh yeah... who is awesome?... two chapters in two days?? Who would have guessed?! Anyways... I know some of you may be wondering why there are guys at Beauxbatons. If you read the books it says that there are boys at Beauxbatons. The movies made the school an all girls school. Hee hee I can't wait for the next chapters!!

x.o.x.o  
Tinkie


	30. A New Home

**Important a/n: If you read the chapter a while ago and saw that it was different that was MY mistake. I had forgotten some details that I put in the previous chapter (i.e. Ava telling Lupin to get rid of Fred's letters... but it's fixed now and changed! SORRY!!)**

* * *

**Chapter 30** – A New Home

"You… you… you can't be!" I raised my hands to my face and shook my head quickly. Lupin reached out to touch me with his hand but I jumped back in fright. "Stay away from me!"

I watched as Lupin fell back in his seat and flinched. "I… I meant to tell you sooner but I felt that it would not have been a wise idea. I will leave you to…"

"No… wait… I am sorry." I wrapped my hands across my chest. After a few moments I cleared my throat. "I just… I just need some time to think about this. It is not everyday you hear that someone close to you is a… is a…"

Lupin raised his hand to stop me from finishing the sentence. "I know and I apologize. I just want you to know that I refuse to be a danger to you. Professor Snape has made me Wolfsbane potion. The potion, when taken the week preceding the full moon, I am able to keep my mind when I transform. I become a harmless wolf waiting for the moon to wane again."

"But how… when were you…"

"Bitten? I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure or anything to aid me. Wolfsbane is only a recent discovery."

I shook my head in confusion. "And Dumbledore allowed you to become professor even though you were a werewolf?"

Lupin nodded but before he could open his mouth there was a knock on the door. The door opened and a woman came inside. "Anything from the trolley for you and your daughter?"

"Just a cup of tea for me. Would you like anything Clarice?"

I looked at Lupin and shook my head. The trolley woman poured Lupin a cup of tea. Lupin handed her some money and she handed Lupin back the change. She smiled sweetly and walked out of the compartment. Lupin took a sip of his tea and waited a few moments before speaking again.

"Dumbledore was sympathetic towards me and he felt that as long as we took certain precautions, there was no reason I shouldn't teach."

"Was it… what is it like?... Becoming a werewolf every month?"

Lupin took another sip and then looked out the window. He sighed softly as he watched other boats sail by. "My transformations in the beginning were… were terrible. It is the most agonizing thing… turning into the werewolf." He looked down as his cup of tea. "You know the Whomping Willow at Hogwarts?"

I nodded and continued to watch him tell his story.

"It was planted because I came to Hogwarts. The Shrieking shack was where I would transform every month." He looked up from his cup but did not make eye contact with me. He stared off into space lost in his memories. "The screams," he whispered silently. "I could only imagine the fear of the villagers…"

I inched forward in my seat towards Lupin. "You don't have to go any further." He sighed softly and looked back down at his cup of tea and took a sip. My heart ached for Lupin. I could not even begin to image the pain he went through during those years. He must have felt so alone. "I am so sorry that you had to go through that."

He shook his head. "I am not. Actually… apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time in my life, I had three great friends… James, Peter, and Sirius. They have been the only people… aside from your mother… who saw me as their family."

"You said that Sirius was not a threat anymore… what happened?"

"To make a long story short… he wanted to prove his innocence and protect Harry."

"You must give me the details later."

Lupin ran his fingers through his hair. "You might as well ask Sirius himself. We're staying with him at his home for a while. I wanted to stay there for a bit to go over things with Sirius and a few others."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you want to go over?" I yawned involuntarily as I looked out the window. The sun was setting over the horizon.

He shook his head. "That I will speak of later… It is time for you to get your rest." He stood and grabbed me a blanket that was in the overhead compartment. I stretched out on the seat as Lupin draped the blanket over me. "We will be arriving in a couple hours or so. Get your rest."

I nodded and watched as Lupin sat back down and picked up the daily prophet. He opened it and began to read. "Lupin?..."

"Yes?" He said as he didn't look up from his paper.

"You're wrong about what you said."

He lowered his paper slightly and furrowed his brow. "I beg your pardon?"

"When you said your three friends and my mother were the only people who ever saw you as family… you forgot me."

His eyes softened and his hands shook slightly.

"Although I do not call you father," I said quietly. "It doesn't mean that I do not think of you as one. I am very grateful to have you in my life." I rolled onto my side and faced the back of the seat. After a few moments I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Number twelve, Grimauld place was surely a place to behold. To those who are unaware of its location, you would not have noticed it in passing. To those wizards who were lucky enough to know of its location watched in awe as it shoves its neighboring houses out of the way as it appears between them. What is revealed is a worn stoop and a battered front door that had a knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent. Sirius met us at the front door as soon as we reached the top of the steps. He smiled widely and hurried us inside. When the door opened we were led into a gloomy and cobweb infested hall with worn carpeting and wallpaper that seemed to be pulling itself off of the walls.

Sirius grabbed our coats and placed them in a hall closet. When he came back to us that was when I was able to get a complete look at him. Although I had seen pictures of him in the daily prophet I was taken aback by his appearance. Although his skin was stretched tightly over his face as if he hadn't eaten a good meal in years, he was very good-looking. Hi dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance that was befitting to a man of his background.

"Ava! I am so glad that you are here. I want you to think of this place as your home. I had Kreacher set up a room for you on the second floor. I hope it is to your liking. I also had him go to your old home and bring back some of your belongings. You will find that everything should be upstairs. I hope you are hungry! I had dinner prepared and it is waiting in the dining room. Follow me!"

Sirius turned and walked swiftly out of the room. I looked up at Lupin and he smiled back at me. He placed his hand on my back and led me down the hall into the dining room.

* * *

Dinner was better than I had expected. Sirius was also better than I had expected. I was a bit apprehensive about staying at Grimauld Place but after a few minutes with Sirius, it was easy to fall in love with him. It was hard to believe that not too long ago he was a prisoner in Azkaban. After the plates had been cleared the three of us continued to sit at the table and talk. As I looked around the room I had tuned out the conversation and focused my attention at the place. This place was empty for ten years and it had showed. I looked at a dresser that was standing in the corner of the room. As I marveled at the detail of the china that was inside I shuddered as I saw a spider the size of a saucer crawl across the top. That was when I forced myself to focus on the conversation once more.

"The stadium is huge Remus. It fits about a hundred thousand people."

"This year the cup is going to be exciting. My galleons are on the Irish."

That was when I rememberd. "I am going to the world cup…"

The two of them looked back at me with question looks in their eyes. "With who? When were you going to tell me?" said Lupin questioningly.

"With Marcell… this boy at school. He invited us to go with him. I was going to tell you on the boat earlier but I had forgotten. Is it okay if I go?"

Sirius smirked as Lupin furrowed his brow. "A boy? You never mentioned a boy before… is he… I mean are you two close?"

Sirius barked a laugh and patted Lupin on the back heartily. "Honestly Remus! Look at her. I would be surprised if she didn't have many boys after her. You remember how Vanessa was…"

I laughed uncontrollably and quickly shook my head. "Marcell is not like that. He is just a good friend and nothing more. He invited us to go with his family. He said he had box seats. My other friend Isabella will be going as well…"

Lupin shook his head. "I do not know if I will be able to go Ava…"

Sirius patted Lupin on the shoulder. "I believe she is old enough to go on her own Remus. Her friends will be there. I believe she will be fine. She will be in secured stadium and I doubt anything besides the few rowdy fights here and there will happen. The ministry will have immense security."

I nodded at Sirius and then looked back at Lupin. I pouted my lips. "Please?"

Lupin looked at me for a moment before shaking his head and laughing lightly. "Alright. As long as you stay with them."

I jumped from my seat and ran towards Lupin and gave him a giant hug. "Thank you so much! I need to let Marcell know right away! May I be excused?" Sirius nodded and I ran out of the room and up the stairs. As I left the room I heard Sirius speak to Lupin softly.

"She seems a bit too excited to be going to the Quidditch World Cup with a 'friend'"

When I reached the top of the stairwell I yelled down to the two of them. "He 'is' a friend! Goodnight!" I heard Sirius bark laughter once more. It had taken me a couple tries before I was able to find my room. When I opened the door I half expected to see a cobweb infested dark room. To my surprise, however, I saw the exact opposite. The walls were painted a light canary yellow and my luggage was on a full sized bed that was draped with cream-colored blankets and pillows. I walked over to the closet and as I had guessed all my clothes from my home was hung neatly inside. I walked over to the mahogany desk and sat down on the matching chair. I opened the drawer for a piece of parchment and a quill. As well as finding the parchment I also found a stack full of letters. As I pulled them out I immediately saw that they were from my friends at Hogwarts.

For a few minutes I just sat there and stared at them. Half afraid to open them and half wanting to desperately hear from them. I do not exactly know why I refused to write them. I think a part of me wanted to protect them, and another part of me was just embarrassed of what I had done to them. It had not taken me very long to realize that I had made the "safe" choice in going to Beauxbatons. Although I had known it was a mistake I was unyielding. In my own selfishness I had not wanted to seem as wrong. I had desperately wanted to believe I was making the right decision. I was scared.

I pulled out a random letter from the middle of the stack. It was from Angelina.

_Dear Ava,_

_I know you are not interested in hearing from us but I am not going to stop writing. _

_I miss you and Hogwarts does not feel the same without you. _

_We have just started our O.W.L.s and it is excruciating. _

_I just cannot wait until school is over. _

_I just hope that I get enough OWLs to make my family happy. _

_Feel free to see us over the summer. Our door will always be open. _

_But I am pretty sure you will be staying with Lupin…_

_I miss you… and so does Fred. He refuses to admit it but I know that he does. _

_He is strong willed that one… almost as bad as you._

_I love you, Angie._

I folded the letter and set it to the side. My eyes watered slightly as I thought about Fred. I flipped through the stack to find any letter from Fred. "Angelina… Angelina… Angelina… Alicia… Angelina…Katie…Angelina…Angelina…Lindsay… Angelina…" There were no letters at all from Fred. Not a single one. As I turned to the last letter I paused. It was from George.

_Ava,  
I hope everything is okay with you.  
When you come back I am going to have to show you some of our new experiments!  
J__ust writing to let you know that we miss you… __all__ of us.  
George_

I was not surprised that there were no letters from Fred in the stack. I had told Lupin to get rid of the letters he had sent me. Now looking back... I wish that I hadn't been so rash. I wish I knew how Fred was feeling or what he was thinking. I had completely messed it up between the two of us. I don't think things will ever be the same between us. I lowered my head in my hands and took a deep breath. I wonder if he had moved on and found someone else. I shuddered immediately at the thought. I just wish he was happier without me and this whole move wasn't completely for nothing. Eventhough Yaxley might not be as much of a threat as he used to be I am not sure if I could ever go back to Hogwarts. Nothing would ever be the same. Maybe it is time the "I" moved on. After a few minutes I lifted my head up and grabbed the quill. I dipped it in ink and began to write.

_Marcell!  
I am so excited to let you know that I will be joining you at the games!  
I cannot wait to see you and will be looking forward to it.  
Your Clarice_

* * *

Dear Readers,

Wow… an update! Haha yeah I know took me forever. I have ADD when it comes to writing. Anyways don't worry… you'll be seeing Fred VERY soon. After all… Ava will be going to the cup. PLEASE REVIEW!! Reviews make me really happy :)

x.o.x.o

Tinkie


	31. The Quidditch World Cup pt 1

**IMPORTANT A/N: **_**Please read the a/n on the previous chapter! Once you have… feel free to enjoy this chapter!! Also I want to make a shout-out to those of you who have reviewed almost every chapter. Your reviews show me that I am doing SOMETHING right and that people are actually enjoying my work. As long as at least one person likes my work I feel like I have done something right. I am writing this story more for the fun of it and practice because I am currently working on my own original story that I hope to publish in some point in my life. I love writing and it is something that makes me truly happy. If you are reading this… I just want you to know that you are awesome and play an important part in my life. Thank you and please enjoy!**_

**Chapter 31 – **The Quidditch World Cup pt. 1

I was lying on my bed reading a book when the stunning Snow Owl flew into the window and landed beside me on my bed. As I sat up and grabbed the letter from his leg I noticed that there was a small package tied to his leg. I opened the letter and read it.

Ma petite_ Clarice,_

_You have no idea how excited that you will be accompanying me to the World Cup._

_I hope that your summer is going well because you are more than worthy._

_Isabella will also be coming with us, as you know._

_I am positive that we will have a marvelous time together._

_A couple days before the cup I would like it if you traveled by floo powder to_

_my parent's estate in Yorkshire. From there we will head to the stadium by portkey._

_I cannot wait to see you._

_Marcell_

_p.s. I have enclosed a present for you. I hope that you receive joy and luck from it._

I smiled as I finished the letter. I set the letter down on my bed and reached towards the owl so I could release the package. When I opened the parcel I gleamed. Marcell included a beautiful emerald necklace that was in the shape of a clover. I was very surprised at the gift and smiled when I thought how Isabella is most likely thrilled that Marcell gave her a necklace also. I cannot believe he bought me this lavish necklace. I can only imagine how expensive it was. This was my first real piece of jewelry. The fanciest piece of jewelry I owned was a charm bracelet Angelina gave me for my ninth birthday. I stood and walked over to the vanity in my room and put the necklace on. It was absolutely breathtaking. As the light shined through the window the clover sparkled.

There was a light knock on my door. "Come in," I said as I continued to marvel at the necklace.

The door opened and Lupin walked into my room. "Can I talk to you for a minute Ava?" I nodded and looked one last time at my necklace before turning around and facing Lupin. He smiled slightly at me and walked over to sit at the foot of my bed. "I want to talk to you about your godfather."

My smile immediately fell. As if sensing the tension, Marcell's owl flew out of the room and disappeared into the sky. "Have you heard from him?"

Lupin fidgeted where he was sitting. "That is the thing… we are not sure where he is at the moment. Sirius thinks that he has went to 'He Who Must Not Be Named' somewhere and is plotting with him."

"Do you think he is still a threat to me?" I did not need to hear the answer. I saw it all over his face. He just did not know the answer.

"I do not think you are of main concern with him at the moment. I think his current concern is Voldemort regaining his strength." I winced at the sound of his name. All that I knew of "He Who Must Not Be Named" is what I heard in whisper. Everyone was afraid to speak of him. I still could not believe that Anthony and Yaxley were his followers. It frightens me to know that I was living there and never knew. I wonder if my mother had known.

"I bring this up Ava because I want to stress to you how important it is that you be careful at the cup and stay in sight the whole time." I nodded and then I thought of possibly seeing Yaxley at the cup. "I do not believe anything will happen because of the numbers of people. Aside from here it is probably the safest place as crazy as it sounds. But like I said… I just want you to be careful."

"I promise I will stay with Marcel and his family the whole time. I will be attached to their sides."

I watched as he forced a smile and stood from the foot of my bed. I could tell that Remus did not want me to go to the cup but he knew that I really wanted to go. It felt a bit nice and a bit awkward that Lupin was acting in this manner. Anthony just forbade me to go anywhere and that was the end of it. It was nice that Lupin was taking what I wanted in consideration. He really was the father I never had. He walked towards me and pointed at the necklace. "That's a beautiful necklace… where did you get it?"

"Marcell gave it to me. I just got it today by owl post." When I saw Lupin raise his eyebrow I raised my hand in protest. "Don't give me that look. He is just a friend and I am sure he gave one to Isabella as well."

Lupin nodded once and he held back his smile. "I am sure he did. Well I will leave you to do what you will. Dinner will be ready in an hour." He slowly turned around and walked out the door.

* * *

When I arrived by Floo powder to Marcell's family's estate Isabella was already there, waiting for me along side Marcell. When I stepped through the fireplace Isabella immediately came and gave me a warm embrace.

"I am zo 'appy zat you are 'eer! How waz your zummer?"

I smiled. It has been a while since I heard that accent of hers. "It was very mellow and relaxing. How about you?"

"Ah _c'est magnifique!_ We went to za Riviera and zee Phantom of ze Opera waz very beautiful! I wish you could 'ave been there!" I caught her glancing at Marcell when she said that. As she kept talking I stepped back and watched her body language. Her infatuation with Marcell has not changed since I had last seen her. The two of them really would make a beautiful pair. I wonder if Marcell even slightly felt the same about her.

When Isabella finished her long boast about her summer Marcell came up to me and gave me a hug as well. "I am glad you are 'eer. Come to ze dining hall. The cooks have prepared a marvelous dinner. After dinner I will show you your room. Tomorrow we will be leaving for ze Cup."

* * *

I did not think waking up at 4am was going to be that hard but sadly it was harder than I had ever imagined. We arrived at the stadium by portkey at exactly 5:15am. We landed at what appeared to be a deserted stretch of misty moor. After arriving we did a 20-minute trek to the stadium through a wood and before I knew it we arrived where there were hundreds and hundreds of tents on the slope of a large field.

We walked up the misty field between long rows of tents. They had looked so ordinary that to an unsuspecting muggle they would not think anything magical was happening. Suddenly we arrived at a lavish tent. The tent was anything but ordinary. The tent was made of striped silk and looked like that of a palace. As I looked closer I saw a peacock walking along the side. Right in front of the tent there was a small sign hammered into the ground that read DELAUER. I looked back at Marcell.

"This is your spot?" I laughed lightly as I walked through the small pathway towards the entrance.

Marcell shrugged. "What can I say? Wee like to leeve in Style!" He put his palm on my back and led me through the doors. "Wee also can't resist showing off when wee get together!"

"Could your family be anymore ostentatious?" I walked through the door and immediately dropped my bag. "Are you sure this is a tent?"

Marcell nodded and smiled smugly before walking past me. I had walked into what looked like Marcell's home back in France. There was a staircase right in the center of the foyer that led to what looked like four bedrooms. To my left I saw the dining room and beyond that was the kitchen, complete with chef. Isabella walked into the "tent" and did not seem at all phased by its grandeur.

"I am starved! When are wee 'aving zee breakfast?" She dropped her luggage beside the stairs and walked towards Marcell. "When zee match starts you must show me 'ow zis game works! I 'ave neva been too a Quidditch game!" She smiled as she ran her hand down Marcell's arm.

Marcell turned towards me. "'Ave you seen a Quidditch game Clarice?"

My smile slowly faded. "Umm… no… no I… I haven't." I pulled off my sweatshirt and my necklace sparkled a little. Isabella gasped.

"My Clarice zat iz beautiful! Where did you get it?"

I looked towards Marcell who seemed to become very interested in a book that was sitting on the bookshelf. When I looked closer at it I saw that it was a book about gardening. Immediately I realized that Marcell hadn't given Isabella a necklace.

"Umm… it's been in my family for years actually… Hey I am thinking about taking a walk around. See what is in the area."

Isabella immediately looked uninterested. "Zat iz nice but I zink zat I want to stay 'eer. Take a look around." I saw her glance at Marcell.

Marcell sat the book down and smiled at me. "I zink zat I will walk around too. We will zee you in a bit Isabella."

* * *

Fred and George were walking around the area. Their pockets feeling a great deal lighter than it had an hour earlier.

"I hope we win this bet!" said Fred.

"Yeah I would love to see Bagman's face when he hands over those galleons when the Irish win and Krum gets that snitch!" said George as he smiled at a couple of kids flying on their toy brooms in front of their tents.

As they turned the corner a salesman Apparated in front of them pushing a cart full of Irish and Bulgarian memorabilia. "Eh there boys! Wan't ta buy some stuff to show your pride? We got scarves, flags, hats, collectible figurines of famous players, and even luminous rosters that squeal the names of the players! Take ya pick!"

George shook his head. "Sorry man but we are plenty broke right now. Bugger off!"

The salesman grunted before apparating away. As the looked ahead they saw a couple of teenage girls who were smiling at them. One of them had a very short blonde haircut while the other had long wavy black hair. They were a couple years younger than them and were obviously from another school since neither of them recognized them.

George smiled back at them and blew them a kiss playfully. The blonde blushed as she whispered something into her friend's ear. As George flexed one of his arms Fred sighed loudly and turned the opposite direction. George waved bye to the girls as he ran after his brother.

"What is your problem? Those girls wanted us!" George glanced over his shoulder and then patted his brother on the shoulder. "You can have the brunette and I can take the blonde!"

Fred shrugged George's hand off his shoulder. "There are more things out there than women."

George stopped walking and scoffed. "You need to look in the mirror when you say that."

Fred stopped and turned around. "What is that supposed to mean?"

George walked up to his brother and looked him dead in the eye. "You know what I mean Fred. You need to wake up and move on. Since she left you have been doing nothing. Either go after her or do us all a favor and move on."

Fred stared at George and there was fire in his eyes. Although he knew what George said was true, Fred could not deny what was being said. On the surface he seemed unfazed by Ava's departure but on the inside both him and George knew he was hollow. Fred did not write to Ava because a part of him did not want to come to terms that she had left him. He just wanted to forget that whole part of his life because when he thought about what happened all he felt was emptiness. It did not help that everything around him reminded him of her. For a while he could not even stand to be near Angelina. Thankfully she knew to not bring up Ava. Lately though he was beginning to think that he had fully gotten over her.

And then he saw her.

At least… that was what he thought. He could not have been imagining her. There she was. She was a Quidditch pitch length away from him. She was wearing a burgundy hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Although her hood was up he could see a few strands of her hair blowing in the wind. Although she looked just as she had when she was at Hogwarts she still seemed a bit… different.

Before he could say anything to George he saw a guy running towards her with a couple of Bulgarian flags. He was wearing a black turtleneck with a scarf with Bulgaria's colors. He watched as the man handed her the flag and then said something into her ear. As Fred watched her smile softly and blush he became green with envy… and then red with anger. Fred looked down and ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on the ends. He could not believe what he saw. Ava? At the cup? With another guy? She obviously looked like she had moved on with her life.

George saw the look in Fred's eye before he turned and looked over his shoulder. "What's wrong now?"

Fred looked up and before he could say anything, she was gone. There was no one there. "I… I thought I saw…"

"What? What did you see?" George looked through the crowd but was unable to see what Fred saw.

"Nothing… let's just get back to the tent." The two of them turned and began to walk back to the tent.

Fred came to the realization that he had gone completely mental.


	32. The Quidditch World Cup pt 2

**Chapter 32** – The Quidditch World Cup pt 2 -

"Come Clarice! Let us get to our seats!" said Marcell as he led me towards the stadium. There had to have been a hundred thousand witches and wizards there that were taking their places in the seats in the spectacular oval field.

When we reached our box Isabella was already there with Marcell's family. "Zere you are! I 'ave been zo worried about you! I 'ave saved seats for you both!" She pointed to a set of three seats situated at the front of the box. She quickly grabbed Marcell's hand and went to sit down with Marcell right next to her on her right. I smiled slightly and took the seat to Marcell's left.

When I looked around me I was in awe. The field was so magnanimous and the field looked as smooth as velvet. On either end of the field were the three goal hoops. They had to be at least fifty or sixty feet high! Marcell turned to me and smiled. "Do you like?"

Isabella chimed in before I could answer. "It iz so interesting! Thoze pretty gold rings over zere reminds me of my gold earrings I got from my father last Christmas!" Marcell turned to her and smiled.

"Thoze are are goals. Clarice? 'Ave you ever watched a Quiddich game before?"

My smiled faltered a bit. I looked down at my Bulgarian flag that was laying my lap. I twisted the fabric slowly between my fingertips. "Yeah I have seen a few." I looked up at the field and stared off into the distance. "Nothing like this though."

I felt Marcell's hand brush over mine slowly as he rubbed his thumb against my knuckles. "Iz there anything wrong?"

I open my mouth to speak when all of a sudden a loud voice filled the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen…welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" All around me the stadium erupted in screams and applause. I put my thoughts aside as I joined in with Marcell in waving my flag and bellowing loudly. "And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce…the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

Marcell stood and started bellowing loudly. "This will be magnifique!"

Isabella followed suit and stood up next to Marcell pointing and giggling. "Look! It'z Veela! Oh _tres jolieI_! 'Ow wonderful!"

I watched in awe as about a hundred veela gliding onto the field. Why they were just as beautiful as their Potions master. As I watched the dance I saw Marcell, as well as the rest of the males in the stadium, stop and get this look of bliss and awe on their faces. I watched as Marcell start to lean forward over the wall of the box. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought he was about to take a leap off the ledge. I grabbed his hand, feeling a sense of fear glaze over me.

Suddenly the music stopped and Marcell seemed to fall out of the trance he was in. He shook his head slightly before looking down at his hand. He smiled as he brought my had to his lips.

Before he was able to kiss my hand Bagman's voice filled the air once more causing me to pull my hand away in alarm and looked towards the field. "And now kindly put your wands in the air…for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

I looked back at Marcell who thankfully was looking back onto the field. _What just happened?_ Before I could fully jump into my thoughts the sky seemed to become overflown with gold. Suddenly a rainbow arced across the field and a giant shamrock rose up into the sky. "What is that?" I said as I pointed towards the shamrock. It seemed as if the shamrock was actually something else.

Marecell reached over and grabbed his Omnioculars and handed them to me. "'ave a look!"

I spun a dial on the Omnioculars and zoomed in on the shamrock. I gasped. "They're Leprechauns!" Marcell laughed and said something to Isabella. I continued to look through the Omnioculars around the field. I couldn't believe that I was actually at the Quidditch World Cup. _I wish Angelina could have been here with me_. I wonder if she was here?

I did a scan of the seats and looked around the field. I did not even know why I was even bothering looking for her. There were hundreds of thousands of people here. How was I even going to find her here?

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you –Dimitrov!" A wave of scarlet flashed in front of my view and I turned the dial back a bit so I could get a good look at the Bulgarian team.

"Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaaand – Krum!"

I watched as Krum soared through the stands. I zoomed in on my Omnioculars to get a good look at his face. God he was very handsome. Hard to believe that he was only eighteen and already a professional Quidditch seeker.

"'eezen't ee gorgeous?" yelled Isabella over the loud applause of the crowd.

"He is not that bad…" I said as I continued to look through the Omnioculars.

"Not zat bad? You know of someone bettah Clarice?"

I shrugged as I zoomed in a bit closer to get a good look at his eyes. "He is pretty good looking… just really not my…" I stopped mid sentence. I pulled the Omnioculars back and rubbed my eyes and shook my head.

Marcell looked at me with concern. "Iz everyzing alright?"

I nodded my head a little too quickly to appear fine but I did not care. At that moment I grabbed the Omnioculars and spun the dial and rewound what I thought I had seen. I watched again how Krum eyes looked across the crowd in determination. As he soared away I was looking straight into the face of something that seemed to be a distant memory away.

"And now, please greet the Irish National Quidditch Team!" yelled Bagman.

For the briefest of moments it seemed as if he was looking straight at me but he was completely oblivious that I was watching him. Before I knew what was happening the Omnioculars fell from my hands and onto the ground of the box.

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Charwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

I could vaguely hear Marcell's voice speaking to me as he was rubbing my shoulder. "Clarice?"

I could not breathe. I tried to breathe but it seemed as if my lungs were refusing to expand. My heart just kept beating faster…trying to fill the dead space in my chest. The stadium seemed to spin as the world around me seemed to dim and go quiet. The last thing I had heard before I fell to the ground, "Theeeeeeeeeey're OFF!"

The last thing I thought before my world went completely black; _Fred Weasley is at the Quidditch World Cup_.

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly and looked around. It was dark around me. I stayed still as I tried to get things together. I seemed to be laying on something soft with a soft fur blanket draped across me. As I sat up slowly I tried to look around. Before I could move again I heard someone utter something before the lights turned on all around me.

"Ah you are awake! 'Eere let me get you some water," said a woman wearing deep maroon gown with a white apron. She had her dark auburn hair up on her head in a bun. She walked over to the side table and handed me a goblet. "'eere drink zis." As I took a sip I watched her walk into the hallway. In a few moments I saw Marcell walk into the room quickly.

"Are you okay? I waz zo worried about you." He knelt at the side of the bed and took my hand in his. "You 'ave been out since the beginning of zee game!"

I rubbed my temples as they began to throb lightly. "I am so embarrassed. I do not what came over me. I hope you didn't miss too much of the game."

He shook his head. "Your safety matters zee most to me. My father and I brought you 'eere and I only went to get something to eat when Esmeralda told me zat you were awake. I can get you…"

"Wait… you missed the game?" I looked at him stunned.

"Of course I did." He reached up and caressed the side of my face lightly. I felt goosebumps prickle my entire body as I looked away and grabbed the goblet and chugged the entire contents of the liquid. Just in time because Isabella came running into the room.

"Oh Clarice! You are awake! Zee match waz wonderful! Zee Irish won zee match although Krum landed za sneetch!"

I choked a little on my water and burped slightly. "Sorry… drank a little too quickly. I'm really parched." I glanced slightly at Marcell who was still kneeling by the bed and looking at me intently.

Isabella frowned. "Oh no! 'Ave you eaten? 'Eere let me get Esmeralda to get you zomezing from zee kitchen!" She walked out of the room and I could hear her calling the maid in the distance. Although Isabella had left Marcell had stayed seated.

I remained silent as well. I did not know what to say to him. After a few moments I decided to break the silence. I cleared my throat. "I think I will just pop into the lavatory for a second…" As I stood I was not prepared for what happened next.

Marcell reached up and pulled me down onto his lap as he pressed his lips hard against mine. I felt his tongue feather my lips as he tried to part them and explore my mouth in detail. My body froze. It did not take long before Marcell realized and quickly broke the kiss. I fell back onto the bed as he stood.

We both sat there in silence once again. I watched as Marcell turned towards the wall and run his hands through his hair.

"I am sorry Marcell… I…"

He shook his head. "It iz okay. I should not 'ave done zat to you. Let me go get zomezing for you to drink." As he turned to walk away I could only sit there and stare. Before he walked out the door he turned.

"Look I'm sorry. I am just not used to this kind of attention… that's all."

He turned and smiled at me softly. "It iz okay. You do not 'ave to explain."

I walked towards him. "Yes I do. I think you're a really great guy and if my circumstances were a bit different I would have different feelings." I looked down. "My life is just a little more complicated that you could know. I am trying to make boys the least of my priorities right now."

"Who iz Fred?" He said as he turned to face me fully. I looked at him in confusion. Not sure of what to say to that. "You 'ave been saying iz name over and over in your sleep."

I looked down at my hands, watching them squeeze tightly. "He is of no importance."

Marcell looked at me and sighed. "I zink he iz. I will let you rest." I watched as he opened the door and shut it behind him lightly, barely making a sound.

* * *

I woke up in the middle of the night. I looked around and wondered how long I was able to sleep this time around. I wasn't able to sleep soundly at all since Esmeralda dropped off a small plate of fruit and cheese for me. I had told Isabella that I was tired and wanted to get some rest for the night so that I could be alone for a bit.

I cannot believe it. Fred Weasley was here somewhere among the hundreds of thousands of people here. I did not think I was going to react the way I had when I saw him through the Omnioculars. Fainting and blacking out was not the reaction I thought I would have to be completely honest.

I tried to put my thoughts of him and the rest of my life back at Hogwarts as far into the back of my thoughts as I could but I kept waking up to the same vision. Fred Weasley was here.

I got out of bed and put on my jacket. I could not sit around here. I needed to get out of this tent and go for a walk. Anything to keep my mind from wandering into places it should not be.

I slowly opened the door and peered down the hall. I listened carefully to any kind of noise that would clue in to someone being awake. When I could only hear the faint snoring sounds I slowly crept down the hall, down the stairs and out the front door of the tent. When I got outside my feet just started walking.

I walked past groups of men drinking loudly outside of their tents as they laughed and cheered. I passed another group of old men dancing a jig of some kind while a man and a woman behind them clad in green were snogging quite openly.

I walked quickly past the group of people until I was at the outskirts of the tents and around me the world seemed to get quiet. When I finally passed the last tent I sat down on the ground and rested my back against the lush grass. I looked up at the clear night sky and started looking at the stars. It has been a while since I had actually looked up at the night sky. I tried to recall the last time I fully took the time to sit and look at it's beauty and take it all in.

"_How do you feel about me Ava?" "What do you mean Fred?"_

I closed my eyes as I let my mind go back.

"_I want to know what is in your mind Ava. I'm just so confused…Please just give me the chance."_

I felt a chill go across my body. When I opened my eyes I saw that the sky was no longer dark but beginning to fill with an orange haze. Faintly I could hear the muffling of voices. I sat up and looked back towards the camp and my heart stopped. The vision of tents on fire filled my vision. I could see people running away towards her across the field and into the woods. The bright flash of light and an odd sound of gunfire flooded the valley. She watched as people fell to the ground and scream loudly. In the distance I could see a crowd of wizards tightly packed and moving together with wands pointing straight upwards as they marched across the field towards me.

My body seemed to be paralyzed. I was unable to move as I was frozen in fear. I watched as the pointed their wands at a group of people running and raise them into the air. They were being contorted into grotesque shapes, their faces withering in pain.

I snapped out of my trance and realized that I needed to either move or be killed. I waited until the group of masked men turned around and began marching in another direction when I shot up and ran towards the woods. As I ran deeper into the woods my feet did not want to stop. I did not know where I was running but my body refused to stop. My chest was screaming for air but my feet would not relent. It was not until I collided into someone before my body fell to the ground.

Before I fell to the ground I reached into my pocket and took out my wand and pointed at the person I ran into and yelled, "EXPELLIARMUS!" I watched as the figure flew into the sky and landed hard onto the ground a few yards away. I saw as small figure run to the man that I attacked. As I got up to run I felt my legs start to wobble uncontrollably. I fell to the ground hard and yelped in pain.

I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turn me around to face them. I closed my eyes in fear as I raised my wand.

"Ava?"

I opened my eyes quickly as I looked into those eyes. "Fred?"

Before I could think of what was going on around me Fred pulled me close and kissed me deeply. For that moment I was unaware of what was going on around me. The noises of people yelling in the background died as I let myself get lost in that familiar feeling I had tried to convince myself was not there.

While I tugged at Fred's hair and pulled him closer I was completely unaware of the wand that was pointed at the back of my head.

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**Dear Readers – Didn't expect this update to come did ya?**

**x.o.x.o.**

**Tinkie**


	33. The Dark Mark

**Dear Readers – Wow… 2 years is a long time for an update. I wanted to apologize for not updating sooner. So much had been going through my life. I had a death in the family back in 2010 and it was hard to get out of that funk. I also had financial issues that almost sank me. Not to mention an unhealthy relationship that I was finally able to get out of. I had lost the passion to write… I had lost the passion to do pretty much anything. For a while there I didn't even think I had the passion to keep going with life.**

**But I am very happy to say that things are much better in my life now. I moved across the state and now live in lovely wine country. I graduated from college and gotten into a new line of work. I'm now just feeling like I have finally gotten my life back together. I hope everyone will forgive me for abandoning you. **

**Seeing new reviews in my inbox always kept me attached to this story. I always would go back and write a few notes here and there about what I had wanted to happen next in Ava's life. I hope you will keep reading. I do love and appreciate everyone who has read my story, whether they like what they read or not. In the past it had seemed that it was the only validation I had gotten in life. Now that I feel like I'm in a better place I feel that I can continue this story. This story deserves to continue.**

**And now… for the continuation of "Mourning Becomes Ava" :)**

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**Chapter 33 - The Dark Mark**

Pain. That was all that I had felt at first. Everything around me seemed to come at a standstill. I was no longer aware of what was happening around me. I could no longer feel Fred against my body. I could not even feel the ground beneath my feet. All I could feel was the crushing sensation coursing through my body. But as soon as the pain had overtaken my body, the pain stopped instantly. I collapsed into Fred's arms as my body went limp. I could hear the deep faint laughter of a man's voice. My body immediately tensed and fear began coursing through my body. I knew that laugh. I heard it every night in my dreams since that fateful night.

"Tsk—Tsk—Tsk. Now what do we have here? I thought what we had was special Ava." Yaxley, with his wand pointed at us, slowly stalked towards us. "I do not seeing someone else touching what is mine.

As Fred went to grab his wand, Yaxley disarmed him with a flick of the wrist. "I would be careful of my actions my dear boy. There are consequences." Before I could even process what happened, my godfather turned his wand towards me and I felt pain overpower my body once again. My body contorted as I screamed in agony.

"Stop!" Fred yelled in panic as he watched me helplessly. When he reached out to touch my I screamed louder as I felt fire erupt from within my body on the spot Fred had touched me. Yaxley chuckled as he released me from the Cruciatus curse.

"I have been wondering when fate would have us meet again. How has beauxbatons been?"

My heart dropped. "How did you know where I was?"

Again Yaxley chuckled. "I will always find you my sweet, sweet Ava. As long as I am breathing I will find you. Nothing will stop me from having what is mine."

"She is not yours you fucking wanker." Fred yelled.

Immediately my body started convulsing and pain shot through my body once more. I watched helplessly as Fred shot up from where he was kneeling and tackled Yaxley to the ground. The pain in my body stopped as my godfather's wand went flying into the air and landed a few feet from where they were wrestling. I slowly tried to get up but I could still feel slight tremors in my body.

Fred threw a few punches at Yaxley before he was thrown off. I went for my wand that was lying by my feet as Yaxley crawled towards his, no doubt going to kill Fred. "EXPELLIARMUS!" I yelled as he began to pick up his wand. As his wand went flying through the air I exhaled. I had not even realized that I was even holding my breath.

My godfather slowly rose from the ground and turned towards me smiling. "I'd go and say, 'do it' but I don't think you got it in you."

I knew he was speaking of the killing curse. I would be lying if I said that the thought did not cross my mind. I had watched as this man killed the man I thought of as my father—the man who had saved my life, not once but twice. God knows how many others he has killed over the years.

I felt Fred's take my hand in his. I was afraid to look him in the eyes. I was terrified of what he might see in mine. All I could feel was anger and hatred. If he did not die today he would keep stalking me. He would continue to hound me day after day until I was truly. There were few other options. As I looked Yaxley in his eyes I saw for a moment a bit of fear in his eyes, right before he smiled. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I turned and saw George standing next to a large tree. I could see Ginny peeking from behind the tree. Yaxley had fallen to the ground, his body as stiff as a board.

"Didn't want to let you lot have all the fun. Are you two alright?" He reached for Ginny's had and walked towards us.

Fred turned me towards him. "Are you ok?"

I nodded as I continued to look at my godfather.

Fred turned my head towards his, his finger lightly caressing the side of my face. "Hey, I wouldn't have thought less of you if you had done it. I would not have blamed you. He deserved it."

"What do you want to do with him?" Asked George.

"Ask Ava." Fred said as he continued to run his fingers along my cheek.

I looked at my godfather and then looked up into the sky. I watched as something green and glittering flew into the sky. It was a colossal skull, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. Suddenly, the wood all around erupted with screams.

"Leave him."

"Are you sure?" Fred looked to me for validation.

"Yes. I'm sure. Doing so will make me one of them." I nodded towards the sky. "Let's get out of here."

The four of us ran through the clearing and back towards camp. As we neared the Weasley tent I stopped. Fred looked back at me. "Come on let's go."

I shook my head. "I have to go back to the people I came with. I can't go with you. They will worry."

Fred grabbed my hand. "I don't want to lose you again!" I could see the panic in his eyes.

I reached up and touched his face. "I love you Fred." I took his face in my hands and kissed him softly on his lips. I turned and ran. I felt my heart break over and over with every step I took away from Fred and towards my unwanted future.

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**Dear Readers—Once again… I'm sorry :( for the lack of updates. Bad Tinkie.**


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